GOVERNORS 


E .  PHILLIPS 
OPPENHEIM 


THE  GOVERNORS 


THE  GOVERNORS 


By 
E.   PHILLIPS  OPPENHEIM 

Author  of  "A  Maker  of  History,"  "The  Long  Arm  of 
Mannister,"  "The  Missioner,"  etc. 


ILLUSTRATED 
BY    WILL   GREFE   AND    HOWARD    SOMERVILLE 


BOSTON 

LITTLE,  BROWN  AND  COMPANY 
1909 


Copyright,  1908,  1909, 

BY 

LITTLE,  BROWN,  AND  COMPANY. 


All  Sights  Reserved 


Published  June,  1909 


8.  J.  PABKHILL  &  Co.,  BOSTON,  U.  8.  A. 


Stack 

*Bf£r 

CONTENTS 

BOOK  I. 

CHAPTEB 
I. 

PAGE 
1 

II. 

COUSIN  STELLA  .... 

9 

III. 

STORM  CLOUDS   .         .                 . 

.       18 

IV. 

A  MEETING  OF  GIANTS      .        . 

.      27 

V. 

TREACHERY          .... 

.       34 

VI. 

MR.  WEISS  IN  A  HURRY    . 

.       43 

VII. 

A  PROFESSIONAL  BURGLAR 

.       53 

VIII. 

FIREARMS    

.       59 

IX. 
X. 

CONSPIRATORS     .... 

.       67 
76 

XL 

MR.  LITTLESON,  FLATTERER 

.      82 

XII. 

STELLA  SUCCEEDS 

.      89 

XIII. 

BEARDING  THE  LION 

.      99 

XIV. 

STELLA  PROVES  OBSTINATE 

.     108 

XV. 
XVI. 

THE  WARNING     .... 

.     116 
.     126 

BOOK  II. 

I. 

MY  NAME  is  MILDMAY 

.     132 

II. 

REFLECTIONS        .... 

.     139 

III. 

"WiLL  YOU  MARRY  ME?" 

146 

CONTENTS 


CHAPTER 

IV.  THE  AMERICAN  AMBASSADOR 

V.  A  QUESTION  OP  COURAGE 

VI.  MR.  MILDMAY  AGAIN 

VII.  AN  APPOINTMENT    . 

VIII.  DEFEATED 

IX.  INGRATITUDE    . 

X.  A  NEW  VENTURE    . 

XL  CONSCIENCE 

XII.  DUKE  OF  MOWBRAT 

XIII.  AN  INTRODUCTION   . 

XIV.  ANOTHER  DISAPPEARANCE 
XV.  MR.  DUGE  THREATENS    . 

XVI.  TRAPPED 

XVII.  MR.  DUGE  FAILS     . 

XVIII.  ADVICE  FOR  MR.  VINE    . 

XIX.  THE  CRISIS      . 

XX.  BEWITCHED 

XXI.  A  LESSON  LEARNED 

XXII.  A  SURPRISE     . 

XXIII.  A  DINNER  PARTY    , 


PASH 

152 
160 
167 
176 
184 
191 
198 
208 
216 
222 
234 
240 
250 
256 
263 
269 
276 
281 
287 
294 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 

VIRGINIA Frontispiece 

"AS    I    DABESAY    YOU   KNOW,    I   AM  NOT    ON    SPEAKING    PAQB 
TERMS    WITH    MY    FATHER !  "  .  .  .  .  17 

ONE    OF   THE    BLOCKS    SPRANG    UP   A    LITTLE   WAY  AND 

WAS    EASILY  REMOVED 39 

A   BULLET    WHISTLED    ONLY   A    FEW  INCHES    FROM    HIS 

HEAD 65 

PHINEAS  DUGE  DROPPED  HIS  CIGARETTE,  AND  FELL 

ON  HIS  KNEES  BY  HER  SIDE         ....      94 

"FOR    GOD'S   SAKE,   TELL    ME   WHO    HAS   IT,    MlSS 

DUGE1."  HE  IMPLORED 110 

"  ISN'T  IT  THE  BUSINESS  OF  ANY  MAN  TO  LOOK  AFTER 

A  CHILD  LIKE  YOU?  " 148 

VIRGINIA,    WITH    A    LITTLE    MURMUR    OF    DELIGHT, 

RECOGNIZED     MR.     MlLDMAY     STANDING     BEFORE 

HER 173 

SIMULTANEOUSLY  SHE  HEARD  A  STEALTHY  MOVEMENT 

OUTSIDE 187 

THEN  HE  CAME  SLOWLY  BACK,  AND  PUTTING  HIS  ARM 

AROUND  VIRGINIA'S  WAIST,  KISSED  HER      .        .     229 

SHE  THOUGHT  NOTHING  OF  THE  MOTIVE  OF  HER 
COMING,  ONLY  TO  PLACE  THE  DOOR  BETWEEN 
HER  AND  THIS! 236 

HE    HAD    AN     OPPORTUNITY    OF    WATCHING    A     SEARCH 

CONDUCTED  UPON  SCIENTIFIC  PRINCIPLES    .         .     257 

THEN  IN  THE  MIDST  OF  HER  WONDERING  CAME  THE 

ELUCIDATION  OF  THESE  THINGS    ....     278 

HE     WAS     ONLY    JUST     IN    TIME    TO     SAVE     HER    FROM 

FALLING  284 


THE  GOVERNORS 

BOOK  I 
CHAPTER  I 

MR.  PHINEAS  DUGE 

TTIRGINIA,  when  she  had  torn  herself  away 
from  the  bosom  of  her  sorrowing  but  ex- 
cited family,  and  boarded  the  car  which  passed 
only  once  a  day  through  the  tiny  village  in  Massa- 
chusetts, where  all  her  life  had  been  spent,  had 
felt  herself,  notwithstanding  her  nineteen  years,  a 
person  of  consequence  and  dignity.  Virginia, 
when  four  hours  later  she  followed  a  tall  footman 
in  wonderful  livery  through  a  stately  suite  of  re- 
ception rooms  in  one  of  the  finest  of  Fifth  Avenue 
mansions,  felt  herself  suddenly  a  very  insignificant 
person.  The  roar  and  bustle  of  New  York  were 
still  in  her  ears.  Bewildered  as  she  had  been  by 
this  first  contact  with  all  the  distracting  influences 
of  a  great  city,  she  was  even  more  distraught  by 
the  wonder  and  magnificence  of  these,  her  more 
immediate  surroundings.  She,  who  had  lived 
all  her  life  in  a  simple  farmhouse,  where  every  one 
worked,  and  a  single  servant  was  regarded  as  a 


1  THE  GOVERNORS 

luxury,  found  herself  suddenly  in  the  palace  of  a 
millionaire,  a  palace  made  perfect  by  the  despoil- 
ment of  more  than  one  of  the  most  ancient  homes 
in  Europe. 

Very  timidly,  and  with  awed  glances,  she  looked 
around  her  as  she  was  conducted  in  leisurely 
manner  to  the  sanctum  of  the  great  man  at  whose 
bidding  she  had  come.  The  pictures  on  the 
walls,  magnificent  and  impressive  even  to  her 
ignorant  eyes;  the  hardwood  floors,  the  wonderful 
furniture,  the  statuary  and  flowers,  the  smooth- 
tongued servants  —  all  these  things  were  an  ab- 
solute revelation  to  her.  She  had  read  of  such 
things,  even  perhaps  dreamed  of  them,  but  she 
had  never  imagined  it  possible  that  she  herself 
might  be  brought  into  actual  contact  with  them. 

At  every  step  she  took  she  felt  her  self-confi- 
dence decreasing;  her  clothes,  made  by  the  village 
dressmaker  from  an  undoubted  French  model, 
with  which  she  had  been  more  than  satisfied  only 
a  few  hours  ago,  seemed  suddenly  dowdy  and  ill- 
fashioned.  She  was  even  doubtful  about  her 
looks,  although  quite  half  a  dozen  of  the  nicest 
young  men  in  her  neighbourhood  had  been  doing 
their  best  to  make  her  vain  since  the  day  when  she 
had  left  college,  an  unusually  early  graduate,  and 
returned  to  her  father's  tiny  home  to  become  the 
acknowledged  belle  of  the -neighbourhood.  Here, 
though,  she  felt  her  looks  of  small  avail;  she 
might  reign  as  a  queen  in  Wellham  Springs,  but 


MR.  PHINEAS  DUGE  3 

she  felt  herself  a  very  insignificant  person  in  the 
home  of  her  uncle,  the  great  railway  millionaire 
and  financier,  Mr.  Phineas  Duge.  Her  courage 
had  almost  evaporated  when  at  last,  after  a  very 
careful  knock  at  the  door,  an  English  footman 
ushered  her  into  the  small  and  jealously  guarded 
sanctum  in  which  the  great  man  was  sitting.  She 
passed  only  a  few  steps  across  the  threshold,  and 
stood  there,  a  timid,  hesitating  figure,  her  dark 
eyes  very  anxiously  searching  the  features  of  the 
man  who  had  risen  from  his  seat  to  greet  her. 

"  So  this  is  my  niece  Virginia,"  he  said,  holding 
out  both  his  hands.  "I  am  glad  to  see  you.  Take 
this  chair  close  to  me.  I  am  getting  an  old 
man,  you  see,  and  I  have  many  whims.  I  like  to 
have  any  one  with  whom  I  am  talking  almost  at 
my  elbow.  Now  tell  me,  my  dear,  what  sort  of  a 
journey  you  have  had.  You  look  a  little  tired,  or 
is  it  because  everything  here  is  strange  to  you  ? " 

All  her  fears  seemed  to  be  melting  away.  Never 
could  she  have  imagined  a  more  harmless-looking, 
benevolent,  and  handsome  old  gentleman.  He 
was  thin  and  of  only  moderate  stature.  His  white 
hair,  of  which  he  still  had  plenty,  was  parted  in  the 
middle  and  brushed  away  in  little  waves.  He  was 
clean-shaven,  and  his  grey  eyes  were  at  once  soft 
and  humorous.  He  had  a  delicate  mouth,  refined 
features,  and  his  slow,  distinct  speech  was  pleasant, 
almost  soothing  to  listen  to.  She  felt  suddenly  an 
immense  wave  of  relief,  and  she  realized  perhaps 


4  THE  GOVERNORS 

for  the  first  time  how  much  she  had  dreaded  this 
meeting. 

"  I  am  not  really  tired  at  all,"  she  assured  him, 
"  only  you  see  I  have  never  been  in  a  big  city,  and 
it  is  very  noisy  here,  isn't  it  ?  Besides,  1  have 
never  seen  anything  so  beautiful  as  this  house.  I 
think  it  frightened  me  a  little." 

He  laid  his  hand  upon  hers  kindly. 

"  I  imagine,"  he  said,  smiling,  "  that  you  will 
very  soon  get  used  to  this.  You  will  have  the 
opportunity,  if  you  choose." 

She  laughed  softly. 

"  If  I  choose!"  she  repeated.  "  Why,  it  is  ail 
like  fairyland  to  me." 

He  nodded. 

'  You  come,"  he  said,  "  from  a  very  quiet  life. 
You  will  find  things  here  different.  Do  you  know 
what  these  are  ?" 

He  touched  a  little  row  of  black  instruments 
which  stood  on  the  top  of  his  desk.  She  shook 
her  head  doubtfully. 

"  I  am  not  quite  sure,"  she  admitted. 

'  They  are  telephones,"  he  said.  '  This  one  " 
—  touching  the  first  —  "is  a  private  wire  to  my 
offices  in  Wall  Street.  This  one  "  -  laying  a 
finger  upon  the  second  —  "  is  a  private  wire  to  the 
bank  of  which  I  am  president.  These  two,"  he 
continued,  "  are  connected  with  the  two  brokers 
whom  I  employ.  The  other  three  are  ordinary 
telephones  —  two  for  long  distance  calls  and  one 


MR.  PHINEAS  DUGE  5 

for  the  city.  When  you  came  in  I  touched  this 
knob  on  the  floor  beneath  my  foot.  All  the  tele- 
phones were  at  once  disconnected  here  and  con- 
nected with  my  secretaries'  room.  I  can  sit  here 
at  this  table  and  shake  the  money-markets  of  the 
world.  I  can  send  stocks  up  or  down  at  my  will. 
I  can  ruin  if  I  like,  or  I  can  enrich.  It  is  the 
fashion  nowadays  to  speak  lightly  of  the  mere 
man  of  money,  yet  there  is  no  king  on  his  throne 
who  can  shake  the  world  as  can  we  kings  of  the 
money-market  by  the  lifting  even  of  a  finger." 

"Are  you  a  millionaire?"  she  asked  timidly. 
"  But,  of  course,  you  must  be,  or  you  could  not  live 
in  a  house  like  this." 

He  laid  his  hand  gently  upon  hers. 

*  Yes,"  he  said,  "  I  am  a  millionaire  a  good 
many  times  over,  or  I  should  not  be  of  much  ac- 
count in  New  York.  But  there,  I  have  told  you 
enough  about  myself.  I  sent  for  you,  as  you 
know,  because  there  are  times  when  I  feel  a  little 
lonely,  and  I  thought  that  if  my  sister  could  spare 
one  of  her  children,  it  would  be  a  kindly  act,  and 
one  which  I  might  perhaps  be  able  to  repay.  Do 
you  think  that  you  would  like  to  live  here  with 
me,  Virginia,  and  be  mistress  of  this  house  ?" 

She  shrank  a  little  away.  The  prospect  was 
not  without  its  terrifying  side. 

"  Why,  I  should  love  it,"  she  declared,  "  but  I 
simply  shouldn't  dare  to  think  of  it.  You  don't 
understand,  I  am  afraid,  the  way  we  live  down 


6  THE  GOVERNORS 

at  Wellham  Springs.  We  have  really  no  servants, 
and  we  do  everything  ourselves.  I  couldn't 
attempt  to  manage  a  house  like  this." 

He  smiled  at  her  kindly. 

"  Perhaps,"  he  said,  "  you  would  find  it  less 
difficult  than  you  think.  There  is  a  housekeeper 
already,  who  sees  to  all  the  practical  part  of  it. 
She  only  needs  to  have  some  one  to  whom  she 
can  refer  now  and  then.  You  would  have  nothing 
whatever  to  do  with  the  managing  of  the  servants, 
the  commissariat,  or  anything  of  that  sort.  Yours 
would  be  purely  social  duties." 

"  I  am  afraid,"  she  answered,  "  that  I  should 
know  even  less  about  them." 

"  Well,"  he  said,  "  I  have  some  good  friends 
who  will  give  you  hints.  You  will  find  it  very 
much  easier  than  you  imagine.  You  have  only 
to  be  natural,  acquire  the  art  of  listening,  and 
wear  pretty  gowns,  and  you  will  find  it  a  simple 
matter  to  become  quite  a  popular  person." 

She  nerved  herself  to  ask  him  a  question.  He 
looked  so  kind  and  good-natured  that  it  did  not 
seem  possible  that  he  would  resent  it. 

"  Uncle,"  she  said,  "  of  course  I  am  very  glad 
to  be  here,  and  it  all  sounds  very  delightful.  But 
what  about  —  Stella  ?" 

He  leaned  back  in  his  chair.  There  was  a 
pained  look  in  his  face.  She  was  almost  sorry 
that  she  had  mentioned  his  daughter's  name. 

"  Perhaps,"  he  said,  "  it  is  as  well   that  you 


MR.  PHINEAS  DUGE  7 

should  have  asked  me  that  question.  I  have 
always  been  an  indulgent  father,  as  I  think  you 
will  find  me  an  indulgent  uncle.  But  there  are 
certain  things,  certain  offences  I  might  say,  for 
which  I  have  no  forgiveness.  Stella  deceived 
me.  She  made  use  of  information,  secret  infor- 
mation which  she  acquired  in  this  room,  to  benefit 
some  man  in  whom  she  was  interested.  She  used 
my  secrets  to  enrich  this  person.  She  did  this 
after  I  had  warned  her.  I  never  warn  twice." 

"  You  mean  that  you  sent  her  away  ?"  she 
asked  timidly. 

"  I  mean  that  my  doors  are  closed  to  her," 
he  answered  gravely,  "  as  they  would  be  closed 
upon  you  if  you  behaved  as  Stella  has  behaved. 
But,  my  dear  child,"  he  added,  smiling  kindly 
at  her,  "  I  do  not  expect  this  from  you.  I  feel 
sure  that  what  I  have  said  will  be  sufficient.  If 
you  will  stay  with  me  a  little  time,  and  take  my 
daughter's  place,  I  think  you  will  not  find  me 
very  stern  or  very  ungrateful.  Now  I  am  going 
to  ring  for  Mrs.  Perrin,  my  housekeeper,  and 
she  will  show  you  your  room.  To-night  you 
and  I  are  going  to  dine  quite  alone,  and  we  can 
talk  again  then.  By  the  by,  do  you  really  mean 
that  you  have  never  been  to  New  York  before  ?" 

"Never!"  she  answered.  "I  have  been  to 
Boston  twice,  never  anywhere  else." 

He  smiled. 

"  Well,"  he  said,  "  the  sooner  you  are  intro- 


8  THE  GOVERNORS 

duced  to  some  of  its  wonders,  the  better.  We 
will  dine  out  to-night,  and  I  will  take  you  to  one 
of  the  famous  restaurants.  It  will  suit  me  better 
to  be  somewhere  out  of  the  way  for  an  hour  or 
two  this  evening.  There  is  a  panic  in  Chicago 
and  Illinois  —  but  there,  you  wouldn't  under- 
stand that.  Be  ready  at  8  o'clock." 

"  But  uncle "  she  began. 

He  waved  his  hand. 

"  !  know  what  you  are  going  to  say  —  clothes. 
You  will  find  some  evening  dresses  in  your  room. 
I  have  had  a  collection  of  things  sent  round  on 
approval,  and  you  will  probably  be  able  to  find 
one  you  can  wear.  Ah!  here  is  Mrs.  Perrin." 

The  door  had  opened,  and  a  middle-aged 
lady  in  a  stiff  black  silk  gown  had  entered  the 
room. 

"  Mrs.  Perrin,"  he  said,  "  this  is  my  niece. 
She  comes  from  the  country.  She  knows  nothing. 
Tell  her  everything  that  she  ought  to  know. 
Help  her  with  her  clothes,  and  turn  her  out  as 
well  as  you  can  to  dine  with  me  at  Sherry's  at 
eight  o'clock." 

A  bell  rang  at  his  elbow,  and  one  of  the  tele- 
phones began  to  tinkle.  He  picked  up  the  re- 
ceiver and  waved  them  out  of  the  room.  Vir- 
ginia followed  her  guide  upstairs,  feeling  more 
and  more  with  every  step  she  took  that  she  was 
indeed  a  wanderer  in  some  new  and  enchanted 
land  of  the  Arabian  Nights. 


CHAPTER  II 

COUSIN    STELLA 

"  XTT'ELL,"  he  said,  smiling  kindly  at  her  over 
the  bank  of  flowers  which  occupied  the 
centre  of  the  small  round  table  at  which  they  were 
dining,  "  what  do  you  think  of  it  all  ?" 

Virginia  shook  her  head. 

"  I  cannot  tell  you,"  she  said.  "  I  haven't 
any  words  left.  It  is  all  so  wonderful.  You  have 
never  been  to  our  home  at  Wellham  Springs,  or 
else  you  would  understand." 

He  smiled. 

"  I  think  I  can  understand,"  he  said,  "  what 
it  is  like.  I,  too,  you  know,  was  brought  up  at 
a  farmhouse." 

Her  eyes  smiled  at  him  across  the  table. 

'  You  should  see  my  room,"  she  said,  "  at 
home.  It  is  just  about  as  large  as  the  cupboard 
in  which  I  am  supposed  to  keep  my  dresses  here." 

"  I  hope,"  he  said,  "  that  you  will  like  where 
Mrs.  Perrin  has  put  you." 

"Like!"  she  gasped.  "I  don't  believe  that 
I  could  have  ever  imagined  anything  like  it.  Do 
you  know  that  I  have  a  big  bathroom  of  my  own, 
with  a  marble  floor,  and  a  sitting-room  so  beautiful 


io  THE  GOVERNORS 

that  I  am  afraid  almost  to  look  into  it.  I  don't 
believe  I'll  ever  be  able  to  go  to  bed." 

"  In  a  week,"  he  said  indulgently,  "  you  will 
become  quite  used  to  these  things.  In  a  month 
you  would  miss  them  terribly  if  you  had  to  give 
them  up." 

Her  face  was  suddenly  grave.  He  looked 
across  at  her  keenly. 

"  What  are  you  thinking  of? "  he  asked. 

"  I  was  thinking,"  she  answered,  after  a 
moment's  hesitation,  "  of  Stella.  I  was  wonder- 
ing what  it  must  be  to  her  to  have  to  give  up  all 
these  beautiful  things." 

His  expression  hardened  a  little.  The  smile 
had  passed  from  his  lips. 

'  You  never  knew  your  cousin,  I  think  ?"  he 
asked. 

"  Never,"  she  admitted. 

"  Then  I  do  not  think,"  he  said,  "  that  you 
need  waste  your  sympathy  upon  her.  Tell  me, 
do  you  see  that  young  lady  in  a  mauve-coloured 
dress  and  a  large  hat,  sitting  three  tables  to  the 
left  of  us  ?" 

She  looked  across  and  nodded. 

"  Of  course  I  do,"  she  answered.  "  How 
handsome  she  is,  and  what  a  strange-looking 
man  she  has  with  her!  He  looks  very  clever." 

Her  uncle  smiled  once  more,  but  his  face 
lacked  its  benevolent  expression. 

"  The  man  is  clever,"  he  answered.     "  His 


COUSIN  STELLA  11 

name  is  Norris  Vine,  and  he  is  a  journalist,  part 
owner  of  a  newspaper,  I  believe.  He  is  one  of 
those  foolish  persons  who  imagine  themselves 
altruists,  and  who  are  always  trying  to  force  their 
opinions  upon  other  people.  The  young  lady 
with  him  —  is  my  daughter  and  your  cousin." 

Virginia's  great  eyes  were  opened  wider  than 
ever.  Her  lips  parted,  showing  her  wonderful 
teeth.  The  pink  colour  stained  her  cheeks. 

"  Do  you  mean  that  that  is  Stella  ?"  she  ex- 
claimed. 

Her  uncle  nodded,  and  paused  for  a  moment 
to  give  an  order  to  a  passing  maitre  d' hotel. 

"  Yes !"  he  resumed,  "  that  is  Stella,  and  that 
is  the  man  for  whose  sake  she  robbed  me." 

Virginia  was  still  full  of  wonder. 

"  But  you  did  not  speak  to  her  when  she  came 
in!"  she  said.  'You  nodded  to  the  man,  but 
took  no  notice  of  her!" 

"  I  do  not  expect,"  he  said  quietly,  "  ever  to 
speak  to  her  again.  I  have  been  a  kind  father;  I 
think  that  on  the  whole  I  am  a  good-natured 
man,  but  there  are  things  which  I  do  not  forgive, 
and  which  I  should  forgive  my  own  flesh  and 
blood  less  even  than  I  should  a  stranger." 

The  colour  faded  from  her  cheeks. 

"  It  seems  terrible,"  she  murmured. 

"  As  for  the  man,"  he  continued,  "  he  is  my 
enemy,  although  it  is  only  a  matter  of  occasional 
chances  which  can  make  him  in  any  way 


12  THE  GOVERNORS 

formidable.  We  speak  because  we  are  enemies. 
When  you  have  had  a  little  more  experience, 
you  will  find  that  that  is  how  the  game  is  played 
here." 

She  was  silent  for  several  minutes.  Her 
uncle  turned  his  head,  and  immediately  two 
maitres  d'hdtel  and  several  waiters  came  rushing 
up.  He  gave  a  trivial  order  and  dismissed  them. 
Then  he  looked  across  at  his  niece,  whose  appetite 
seemed  suddenly  to  have  failed  her. 

*  Tell  me,"  he  said,  "  what  is  the  matter  with 
you,  Virginia  ?" 

"  I  am  a  little  afraid  of  you,"  she  answered 
frankly.  "  I  should  be  a  little  afraid  of  any  one 
who  could  talk  like  that  about  his  own  child." 

He  smiled  softly. 

"  You  have  the  quality,"  he  said,  "  which  I 
admire  most  in  your  sex,  and  find  most  seldom. 
You  are  candid.  You  come  from  a  little  world 
where  sentiment  almost  governs  life.  It  is  not 
so  here.  I  am  a  kind  man,  I  believe,  but  I  am 
also  just.  My  daughter  deceived  me,  and  for 
deceit  I  have  no  forgiveness.  Do  you  still  think 
me  cruel,  Virginia  ?  " 

"  I  am  wondering,"  she  answered  frankly. 
'  You  see,  I  have  read  about  you  in  the  papers, 
and  I  was  terribly  frightened  when  mother  told 
me  that  I  was  to  come.  Directly  I  saw  you,  you 
seemed  quite  a  different  person,  and  now  again 
I  am  afraid." 


COUSIN  STELLA  13 

"Ah!  "  he  sighed,  "that  terrible  Press  of  ours! 
They  told  you,  I  suppose,  that  I  was  hard,  un- 
scrupulous, unforgiving,  a  money-making  ma- 
chine, and  all  the  rest  of  it.  Do  you  think  that 
I  look  like  that,  Virginia  ?" 

"  I  am  very  sure  that  you  do  not,"  she  answered. 

'  You  will  know  me  better,  I  hope,  in  a  year 
or  so's  time,"  he  said.  "  If  you  wish  to  please 
me,  there  are  two  things  which  you  have  to  re- 
member, and  which  I  expect  from  you.  One  is 
absolute,  implicit  obedience,  the  other  is  absolute, 
unvarying  truth.  You  will  never,  I  think,  have 
cause  to  complain  of  me,  if  you  remember  those 
two  things." 

"  I  will  try,"  she  murmured. 

Her  thoughts  suddenly  flitted  back  to  the  poor 
little  home  from  which  she  had  come  with  such 
high  hopes.  She  thought  of  the  excitement 
which  had  followed  the  coming  of  her  uncle's 
letter;  the  hopes  that  her  harassed,  overworked 
father  had  built  upon  it;  the  sudden,  almost 
trembling  joy  which  had  come  into  her  mother's 
thin,  faded  face.  Her  first  taste  of  luxury  sud- 
denly brought  before  her  eyes,  stripped  bare  of 
everything  except  its  pitiful  cruelty,  that  ceaseless 
struggle  for  life  in  which  it  seemed  to  her  that  all 
of  them  had  been  engaged,  year  after  year.  She 
shivered  a  little  as  she  thought  of  them,  shivered 
for  fear  she  should  fail  now  that  the  chance  had 
come  of  some  day  being  able  to  help  them. 


i4  THE  GOVERNORS 

Absolute  obedience,  absolute  truth !  If  these  two 
things  were  all,  she  could  hold  on,  she  was  sure 
of  it. 

A  messenger  boy  was  brought  in,  and  delivered 
a  letter  to  her  uncle.  He  read  and  destroyed  it  at 
once. 

'  There  is  no  answer,"  he  said. 

The  messenger  protested. 

"  I  am  to  wait,  sir,  until  you  give  me  one,"  he 
said.  ;<  The  gentleman  said  it  was  most  impor- 
tant. I  was  to  find  you  anywhere,  anyhow,  and 
get  an  answer  of  some  sort." 

"  How  much,"  Mr.  Phineas  Duge  asked, 
"  were  you  to  receive  if  you  took  back  an  an- 
swer ?" 

'  The  gentleman  promised  me  a  dollar,  sir," 
the  boy  answered. 

Mr.  Duge  put  his  hand  into  his  pocket. 

"  Here  are  two  dollars,"  he  said.  "  Go  away 
at  once.  There  is  no  answer.  There  will  not 
be  one.  You  can  tell  Mr.  Hamilton  that  I  said 
so." 

The  boy  departed.  Her  uncle  looked  across 
at  Virginia  and  smiled. 

'  That  is  how  we  have  to  buy  immunity  from 
small  annoyances  here,"  he  said.  "  All  the 
time  it  is  the  same  thing  —  dollars,  dollars, 
dollars!  That  messenger  boy  was  clever  to  get 
in.  When  we  leave  this  restaurant,  you  will 
find  that  there  are  at  least  half  a  dozen 


COUSIN  STELLA  15 

people  waiting  to  speak  to  me.  It  will  be  tele- 
phoned to  several  places  in  the  city  that  I  am 
dining  here  to-night.  From  where  I  am  sitting, 
I  can  see  two  reporters  standing  by  the  entrance. 
They  are  waiting  for  me." 

She  looked  at  him  with  interested  eyes. 

"  But  why  ?"  she  asked  timidly. 

"  Oh!  it  is  simply  a  matter,"  he  said,  "  of  the 
money-markets.  I  have  been  doing  some  things 
during  the  last  few  days  which  people  don't  quite 
understand.  They  don't  know  whether  to  follow 
me  or  stand  away,  and  the  Press  doesn't  know 
how  to  explain  my  actions;  so  you  see  I  am 
watched.  You  heard  what  I  said,"  he  asked, 
somewhat  abruptly,  "  about  those  two  things, 
obedience  and  truth  ?  " 

*  Yes !  "  she  answered. 

'  They  say,"  he  resumed,  "  that  a  wise  man 
trusts  no  one.  I,  on  the  other  hand,  do  not 
believe  this.  There  are  times  when  one  must 
trust.  Your  mother  and  your  father  were  both 
as  honest  as  people  could  be,  whatever  their  other 
faults  may  have  been.  I  like  your  face.  I 
believe  that  you,  too,  are  honest." 

"  Remember,"  she  said,  smiling,  "  that  I  have 
never  been  tempted." 

'  There  could  be  no  bidders  for  your  faith- 
fulness," he  answered,  "  whom  I  could  not  outbid. 
I  am  going  to  trust  you,  Virginia.  There  are 
sometimes  occasions  when  I  do  things,  or  am 


16  THE  GOVERNORS 

concerned  in  matters,  which  not  even  my  secre- 
taries have  any  idea  of.  You  only,  in  the  future, 
will  know.  I  think,  dear,  that  we  shall  get  on 
very  well  together.  I  am  not  going  to  offer  you 
a  great  deal  of  money,  because  you  would  not 
know  what  to  do  with  it,  but  so  long  as  you  re- 
main with  me,  and  serve  me  in  the  way  that  I 
direct,  I  am  going  to  do  what  I  feel  I  ought  to 
have .  done  long  ago  for  your  people  down  at 
Wellham  Springs." 

Her  face  shone,  and  her  beautiful  eyes  were 
more  brilliant  still  with  unshed  tears. 

"  Uncle!  "  she  murmured  breathlessly. 

He  nodded. 

;<  That  will  do,"  he  said.  "  I  only  wanted  you 
to  understand.  For  the  next  week  or  two,  all 
that  you  have  to  do  is  to  get  used  to  your  position. 
The  small  services  which  I  shall  require  of  you 
will  commence  later  on.  Now  try  some  of  that 
ice.  It  has  been  prepared  specially.  How  do 
you  like  our  New  York  cooking  ?  " 

"  It  is  all  too  marvellous,"  she  declared. 

Then  there  came  a  sudden  interruption.  She 
heard  the  rustle  of  a  gown  close  to  their  table, 
and  looking  up  found  to  her  amazement  that  it 
was  Stella  who  was  standing  there. 

"So  you  are  my  cousin!"  Stella  said,  "little 
Virginia!  I  only  saw  you  once  before,  but  I 
should  have  known  you  anywhere  by  your  eyes. 
No!  of  course  you  don't  remember  me!  You 


".As   I   DARESAY   YOU    KNOW,    I    AM    NOT   ON    SPEAKING    TERMS 

WITH  MY  FATHFR  !  "     Page  17 


COUSIN  STELLA  17 

see  I  am  six  years  older.  I  mustn't  stop,  because, 
as  I  dare  say  you  know,  I  am  not  on  speaking 
terms  with  my  father,  but  I  felt  that  I  must  just 
shake  hands  with  you,  and  tell  you  that  I  remem- 
bered you." 

'  You  are  very  kind,'*  Virginia  faltered. 

Her  uncle  had  risen  to  his  feet,  and  was  stand- 
ing in  an  attitude  of  polite  inattention,  as  though 
some  perfect  stranger  had  addressed  the  lady 
who  was  under  his  care.  He  appeared  quite 
indifferent;  in  his  daughter's  voice  there  had 
not  been  the  slightest  trace  of  any  sentiment. 
A  careless  word  or  two  passed  between  him  and 
the  man  Norris  Vine,  who  was  waiting  for  Stella. 
Then  they  passed  out  together,  and  Phineas  Duge 
calmly  resumed  his  chair.  Virginia,  who  had 
expected  to  find  him  angry,  was  herself  amazed. 

"  By  the  by,"  Mr.  Duge  said,  as  he  lit  a  cigar- 
ette, "  always  remember  what  I  told  you  about 
that  man.  Be  especially  on  your  guard  if  ever 
you  are  brought  into  contact  with  him.  I  happen 
to  know  that  he  registered  a  vow,  a  year  ago, 
that  before  five  years  were  past  he  would  ruin 
me." 

"  I  will  remember,"  Virginia  faltered. 


CHAPTER  III 

STORM   CLOUDS 

ATR.  PHINEAS  DUGE,  since  the  death  of 
•*••*•  his  wife,  had  closed  his  doors  to  all  his 
friends,  and  entertained  only  on  rare  occasions 
a  few  of  the  men  with  whom  he  was  connected 
in  his  many  business  enterprises.  On  the  arrival 
of  Virginia,  however,  he  lifted  his  finger,  and 
Society  stormed  at  his  doors.  The  great  recep- 
tion rooms  were  thrown  open,  the  servants  were 
provided  with  new  liveries,  an  entertainment 
office  was  given  carte  blanche  to  engage  the  usual 
run  of  foreign  singers  and  the  best  known 
mountebanks  of  the  moment.  Mrs.  Trevor 
Harrison,  the  woman  whom  he  had  selected  as 
chaperon  for  Virginia,  more  than  once  displayed 
some  curiosity,  when  talking  to  her  charge,  as 
to  this  sudden  change  in  the  habits  of  a  man 
whose  lack  of  sociability  had  become  almost 
proverbial. 

"  If  it  were  not,  my  dear,"  she  said  one  day 
to  Virginia,  when  they  were  having  tea  together 
in  her  own  more  modest  apartment,  "  that  I 
firmly  believe  your  uncle  incapable  of  any  affec- 
tion for  any  one,  we  should  all  have  to  believe 
that  he  had  lost  his  heart  to  you." 


STORM  CLOUDS  19 

Virginia,  who  had  heard  other  remarks  of  the 
same  nature,  looked  puzzled. 

"  I  cannot  see,"  she  exclaimed,  "  why  every 
one  speaks  of  my  uncle  as  a  heartless  person.  I 
do  not  think  that  I  ever  met  any  one  more  kind, 
and  he  looks  it,  too.  I  do  not  think  that  I  ever 
saw  any  one  with  such  a  benevolent  face." 

Mrs.  Trevor  Harrison  laughed  softly  as  she 
rocked  herself  in  her  chair. 

"Dear  child,"  she  said,  "New  York  has 
known  your  uncle  for  twenty-five  years,  and 
suffered  for  him.  These  men  who  make  great 
fortunes  must  make  them  at  the  expense  of  other 
people,  and  there  are  very  many  who  have  gone 
down  to  make  Phineas  Duge  what  he  is." 

"  I  cannot  understand  it,"  Virginia  said. 

'  Your  uncle,"  Mrs.  Trevor  Harrison  con- 
tinued, "  has  a  wrill  of  iron,  is  absolutely  self- 
centered;  sentiment  has  never  swayed  him  in  the 
least.  He  has  climbed  up  on  the  bodies  of  weaker 
men.  But  there,  in  America  we  blame  no  one 
for  that.  It  is  the  strong  man  who  lives,  and  the 
others  must  die.  Only  I  cannot  quite  under- 
stand this  new  development.  I  have  never  known 
your  uncle  to  do  a  purposeless  thing." 

'  You  say,"  Virginia  remarked  slowly,  "  that 
he  has  no  heart.  Why  did  he  send  for  me,  then  ? 
Since  I  have  been  here,  he  has  paid  off  the  mort- 
gage which  was  making  my  father  an  old  man, 
he  has  sent  my  brother  to  college,  and  has  prom- 


20  THE  GOVERNORS 

ised,  so  long  as  I  am  with  him,  to  allow  them  so 
much  money  that  they  have  no  more  anxiety  at 
all.  If  you  only  knew  what  a  change  this  has 
made  in  all  our  lives,  you  would  understand  that 
I  do  not  like  to  hear  you  say  that  my  uncle  has 
no  heart." 

Mrs.  Trevor  Harrison  stopped  rocking  her 
chair,  and  looked  at  the  girl  thoughtfully. 

'  Well,"  she  said,  "  what  you  tell  me  sounds 
very  strange.  Still,  I  don't  see  what  motive  he 
could  have  had  for  doing  all  this." 

"  Why  should  you  suspect  a  motive  ?  "  Virginia 
demanded. 

"  Because  he  is  Phineas  Duge,"  Mrs.  Harrison 
said  drily.  "  But  there,  my  dear  child,  I  mustn't 
say  a  word  against  your  uncle.  He  has  been 
nice  enough  to  me  because  I  have  promised  to 
look  after  you.  Does  he  want  me  to  marry  you, 
I  wonder  ?  I  don't  think  that  it  would  be  very 
difficult." 

Virginia  blushed,  and  moved  uneasily  in  her 
chair. 

"  Please  don't,"  she  begged.  "  I  do  not  wish 
to  think  of  anything  of  the  sort.  My  uncle  says 
that  presently  I  am  to  help  him." 

"  To  help  him,"  Mrs.  Trevor  Harrison  repeated 
thoughtfully. 

Virginia  nodded. 

"  Yes!  I  don't  exactly  know  how,  but  that  is 
what  he  said." 


STORM  CLOUDS  21 

Her  chaperon  looked  thoughtful  for  a  moment. 
So  there  was  a  motive  somewhere,  then!  But, 
after  all,  what  concern  was  it  of  hers  ?  She  was 
an  old  friend  of  the  Duge  family,  and  Phineas 
Duge  had  made  it  very  well  worth  her  while  to 
look  after  his  niece. 

They  were  interrupted  by  some  callers.  It 
was  an  informal  "  At  Home  "  which  Mrs.  Harri- 
son was  giving  in  honour  of  her  young  charge. 
Soon  the  rooms  were  crowded  with  people,  and 
Virginia,  slim,  elegant,  perfectly  gowned,  looking 
like  a  picture,  with  her  pale  oval  face  and  wonder- 
ful dark  grey  eyes,  was  the  centre  of  a  good  deal 
of  attention.  And  in  the  midst  of  it  all  a  girl, 
whom  as  yet  she  had  not  noticed,  touched  her  on 
the  arm  and  drew  her  a  little  away.  She  started 
with  surprise  when  she  saw  that  it  was  Stella. 

"  Come,  my  dear  cousin,"  Stella  said,  "  I 
want  to  have  a  little  talk  with  you.  Won't  you 
sit  down  with  me  here  ?  I  am  sure  you  have  been 
doing  your  duty  admirably." 

Virginia  was  a  little  shy.  She  was  not  quite 
sure  whether  she  ought  to  talk  to  her  cousin. 
Nevertheless,  she  obeyed  the  stronger  personality. 

"  Of  course  I  know,"  Stella  said,  spreading 
herself  out  on  a  sofa,  and  smiling  in  amusement 
at  the  other's  slight  embarrassment,  "  that  I  am 
in  disgrace  with  my  beloved  parent,  and  that  you 
are  half  afraid  to  talk  to  me.  Still,  you  must  re- 
member that  you  owe  me  a  little  consideration, 


22  THE  GOVERNORS 

for  you  have  taken  my  place,  and  turned  me  out 
into  the  cold  world." 

'  You  must  not  talk  like  that,  please,"  Virginia 
said  quietly.  "  You  know  very  well  that  I  have 
done  nothing  of  the  sort.  When  my  uncle  sent 
for  me,  I  had  no  idea  that  you  were  not  still  living 
with  him." 

"  I  lived  with  him  for  three  years,"  Stella  said, 
"  after  I  had  come  back  from  Europe.  I  call  that 
a  very  wonderful  record.  I  give  you  about  three 
months." 

"  I  don't  know  why  you  should  say  this," 
Virginia  answered.  "  I  find  my  uncle  very  easy 
to  get  on  with  so  long  as  he  is  obeyed." 

Stella  smiled. 

"Ah,  well!  "  she  said,  "  I  don't  want  to  dis- 
hearten you,  only  you  seem  rather  a  nice  little 
thing,  and  I  am  afraid  you  don't  quite  under- 
stand the  sort  of  man  my  father  is.  However, 
you'll  find  out,  and  until  you  do  I  should  have  as 
good  a  time  as  I  could  if  I  were  you.  How  do 
you  like  New  York  ?  " 

"  How  could  I  help  liking  it  ?  "  Virginia  an- 
swered. "  I  came  here  from  a  little  wooden 
farmhouse  in  a  desolate  part  of  the  country.  I 
did  not  know  what  luxury  was.  Here  I  have  a 
maid,  a  suite  of  rooms,  an  automobile,  and  all 
manner  of  wonderful  things,  all  of  my  own." 

'  Will  you  be  willing,"  Stella  asked  calmly, 
"  to  pay  the  price  when  the  time  comes  ?  " 


STORM  CLOUDS  23 

Virginia  looked  at  her  wonderingly. 

"  The  price  ?  "  she  asked.  "  What  do  you 
mean  ? " 

Stella  laughed  a  little  hardly. 

"  Little  girl,"  she  said,  "  you  are  very  young. 
Let  me  tell  you  this.  My  father  never  did  a  kind 
action  in  his  life  for  its  own  sake.  He  never 
befriended  any  one  for  any  other  motive  than 
that  some  day  or  other  he  meant  to  exact  some 
return  for  it.  Your  time  hasn't  come  yet,  but 
there  will  be  something  some  day  which  will 
help  you  to  understand." 

Virginia  sat  upright  in  her  seat.  A  very  "be- 
coming touch  of  colour  had  stolen  into  her  cheeks, 
and  her  eyes  were  bright. 

"  I  like  to  talk  to  you,  Stella,"  she  said,  "  be- 
cause you  are  my  cousin,  and  none  of  these  other 
people  are  even  my  friends  yet,  but  I  cannot 
listen  to  you  if  you  talk  like  this  of  the  man  who 
has  been  so  kind  to  me,  especially,"  she  added, 
"  as  he  is  your  father  and  my  uncle." 

Stella  leaned  over  and  patted  her  hand  patron- 
izingly. 

"Silly  little  girl!"  she  said.  "Never  mind, 
we  shall  be  friends  some  day,  I  dare  say.  You 
daren't  come  and  see  me,  I  suppose  ?  " 

Virginia  shook  her  head. 

"  Not  without  my  uncle's  permission,"  she 
said. 

"Quite   right,"  Stella   agreed.     "Don't   run 


24  THE  GOVERNORS 

any  risks.  We  shall  come  across  one  another 
now  and  then,  especially  since  my  father  seems 
determined  to  throw  open  his  doors  once  more 
to  the  usual  mob.  By  the  by,  does  he  ever  say 
anything  about  me  ?  " 

"  Nothing,"  Virginia  answered,  "  except  that 
you  deceived  him.  He  has  told  me  that." 

"  Any  particulars  ?  "  Stella  asked. 

"  I  am  not  sure,"  Virginia  said,  "  that  I  ought 
to  repeat  them." 

Stella  sat  quite  still  for  a  moment,  and  a  slight 
frown  was  on  her  forehead. 

"  He  has  told  you,  then,  why  he  sent  me 
away  ?  "  she  asked. 

'  Yes !  "  Virginia  answered. 

Stella  shrugged  her  shoulders  and  rose. 

*  Well,"  she  said,  "  I  mustn't  monopolize  you 
any  longer,  or  I  shall  be  in  disgrace." 

She  walked  away  with  a  little  nod,  leaving 
behind  her  a  faint  but  uncomfortable  impression. 
Virginia,  an  hour  or  so  later,  thought  it  best  to 
tell  her  uncle  of  this  meeting.  They  were  stand- 
ing together  in  one  of  the  reception  rooms,  waiting 
for  some  guests  who  were  coming  to  dine,  and 
were  alone  except  for  a  couple  of  footmen,  who 
were  lighting  a  huge  candelabrum  of  wax  candles. 

"  Uncle,"  Virginia  said,  "  I  met  Stella  this 
afternoon,  and  she  came  and  spoke  to  me." 

He  looked  at  her  without  change  of  counte- 
nance. 


STORM  CLOUDS  25 

"  Well  ?  "  he  said. 

"  I  thought  I  ought  to  tell  you,"  Virginia  con- 
tinued. "  I  was  not  sure  how  you  felt  about  it." 

"  I  have  no  objection,"  he  said,  resting  his 
hand  for  a  moment  upon  her  shoulder,  "  to  your 
talking  to  her  whenever  you  may  happen  to  meet. 
Only  remember  one  thing!  She  must  not  enter 
this  house.  You  must  never  ask  her  here.  You 
must  never  suffer  her  to  come.  You  understand 
that  ?  " 

"  I  understand,"  Virginia  answered. 

"  And  this  man  Vine,  Mr.  Norris  Vine,  have 
you  met  him  ?  "  he  asked. 

Virginia  shook  her  head. 

"  No!  "  she  said,  "  I  have  never  seen  him  since 
that  night  at  the  restaurant." 

"  The  same  thing,"  Phineas  Duge  said,  "  ap- 
plies to  him.  Neither  of  them  must  cross  the 
threshold  of  this  house.  It  is  a  hard  thing  to 
say  of  one's  own  daughter,  but  those  two  are  in 
league  against  me,  if  their  combination  is  worth 
speaking  of  seriously." 

Virginia  looked  hopelessly  puzzled.  Phineas 
Duge  hesitated  for  a  moment,  and  then  con- 
tinued — 

'  There  are  phases  of  our  life  here,"  he  said, 
"  which  you  could  not  hope  to  understand,  even 
if  you  had  been  born  in  this  city.  But  you  can 
perhaps  understand  as  much  as  this.  In  the 
higher  regions  of  finance  there  is  very  much 


26  THE  GOVERNORS 

scheming  and  diplomacy  required.  One  carries 
always  secrets  which  must  not  be  known,  and  one 
does  things  which  it  is  necessary  to  conceal  for 
the  good  of  others,  as  well  as  for  one's  own  benefit. 
I  have  been  for  some  years  engaged  in  operations 
whose  success  depends  entirely  upon  the  secrecy 
with  which  they  are  conducted.  Naturally,  there 
is  an  opposing  side,  there  always  must  be.  There 
are  buyers  and  sellers.  If  one  succeeds,  the  other 
must  fail,  so  you  can  understand  that  one  has 
enemies  always." 

"  It  sounds,"  she  murmured,  "  almost  ro- 
mantic, like  diplomacy  or  politics." 

He  smiled. 

'  The  secret  history  of  the  lives  and  operations 
of  some  of  us,  who  have  made  names  in  this 
country  during  the  last  few  years,"  he  said, 
"  would  make  the  modern  romance  seem  stale. 
Even  odd  scraps  of  news  or  surmises  are  fought 
for  by  the  Press.  The  journalists  know  well 
enough  where  to  come  for  their  sensation.  Our 
guests  at  last,  I  believe.  Don't  forget  what  I 
have  been  saying  to  you,  Virginia." 


CHAPTER  IV 

A   MEETING   OF    GIANTS 

"DHINEAS  DUGE,  if  his  manners  preserved 
still  that  sense  of  restraint  which  seemed 
part  of  the  man  himself,  still  made  an  excellent 
host.  He  sat  at  the  head  of  his  table,  a  distin- 
guished, almost  handsome  personality,  his  grey 
hair  accurately  parted,  every  detail  of  his  toilette 
in  exact  accordance  with  the  fashions  of  the 
moment,  his  eyes  everywhere,  his  tongue  seldom 
silent. 

Virginia  watched  him  more  than  once  from 
her  seat,  in  half-unwilling  admiration.  She  was 
ashamed  to  admit  that  her  personal  enthusiasm 
for  him  had  in  any  way  abated,  and  yet  she  was 
becoming  conscious  of  that  absolute  lack  of  any 
real  cordiality,  of  any  evidence  of  affection  in  his 
demeanour  towards  her  and  every  one  else  with 
whom  he  was  brought  into  contact.  She  knew 
very  well  what  the  world's  account  of  him  was, 
for  in  the  old  days  they  had  read  sketches  of  his 
career  up  in  the  little  farmhouse  amongst  the 
mountains.  They  had  read  of  his  indomitable 
will,  of  his  absolute  heartlessness,  the  stern,  per- 
sistent individuality  which  climbs  and  climbs, 


28  THE  GOVERNORS 

heedless  of  those  who  must  fall  by  the  way. 
Perhaps  he  was  really  like  this.  Perhaps  her 
first  impressions  had  been  wrong.  Then,  with 
a  sudden  wave  of  shame,  she  remembered  the 
joyous,  affectionate  letters  which  every  post 
brought  her  from  the  home,  which  notwithstand- 
ing all  her  sufferings,  she  had  loved  so  dearly. 
She  looked  down  at  the  pearls  which  hung  from 
her  neck.  She  saw  herself  in  her  spotless  muslin 
gown.  She  felt  the  touch  of  laces  and  silk,  all 
the  nameless  effect  of  this  environment  of  luxury 
thrilled  in  her  blood.  It  was  better,  she  decided, 
that  she  did  not  think  of  the  future  at  all.  It  was 
better  that  she  should  nurse  the  gratitude  which 
she  most  assuredly  felt. 

The  dinner-party  that  night  consisted  of  men 
only,  and  although  the  conversation  was  fairly 
general,  even  Virginia  had  a  suspicion  that  these 
men  had  not  been  brought  together  absolutely 
as  ordinary  guests  for  social  purposes.  Lightly 
though  they  all  talked,  there  was  something  in  the 
background.  More  than  once  the  voices  were 
lowered,  allusions  were  made  which  she  failed 
to  understand,  and  half-doubting  glances  were 
thrown  in  her  direction.  One  of  these  her  uncle 
appeared  to  notice,  and,  leaning  a  little  forward 
in  his  chair,  he  said  a  few  words  to  the  man  at 
his  side  in  such  a  way  that  they  were  obviously 
intended  for  the  information  of  all. 

"  My  niece,"  he  said,  "  is  going  to  take  the  part 


A  MEETING  OF  GIANTS          29 

which  I  had  once  hoped  my  daughter  might  fill. 
If  the  occasion  arises,  you  can  speak  of  any 
matter  of  business  in  which  we  may  be  interested, 
before  her.  It  is  necessary,"  he  continued,  after 
a  slight  pause,  "that  there  should  be  some  one  in 
my  household  who  is  above  suspicion,  I  might 
almost  say,  above  temptation.  My  niece  will 
hold  that  post." 

Then  they  all  looked  at  her,  and  Virginia  was 
a  little  frightened.  It  did  not  seem  to  her  neces- 
sary, however,  to  say  anything.  Two  of  the  men 
she  met  for  the  first  time,  but  all  were  known  to 
her  by  sight.  There  was  Stephen  Weiss,  the 
head  of  a  great  trust,  long,  lean,  with  inscrutable 
face,  and  eyes  hidden  behind  thick  spectacles; 
Higgins,  who  virtually  controlled  a  great  railway 
system;  Littleson  and  Bardsley,  millionaires 
both,  and  politicians.  It  was  a  gathering  of  men 
of  almost  limitless  power;  men  who,  according 
to  some  of  the  papers,  lived  with  their  hands 
upon  their  country's  throat.  Littleson  leaned 
over  and  spoke  to  her  not  unkindly. 

"  I  am  sure,"  he  said,  "  that  your  uncle  has 
made  a  wise  choice.  There  are  some  secrets  too 
great  to  be  in  one  man's  charge  alone,  and  be- 
sides  " 

Phineas  Duge  lifted  his  hand. 

"  Never  mind  the  rest,"  he  said.  "  I  have  not 
explained  those  circumstances  as  yet  to  my  niece. 
If  you  are  quite  ready,  we  will  take  our  coffee 


3d  THE  GOVERNORS 

in  the  library."  He  turned  to  Virginia,  who  had 
risen  at  once  to  leave  them.  "  In  an  hour  and  a 
half  exactly,  Virginia,"  he  said,  "  come  into  the 
library.  Not  before." 

She  glanced  at  her  watch  and  made  a  note  of 
the  hour.  Then  she  wandered  off  to  one  of  the 
smaller  drawing-rooms,  and,  to  relieve  a  certain 
strain  of  which  she  was  somehow  conscious,  she 
played  the  piano  softly.  In  the  middle  of  a 
nocturne  of  Chopin's  the  door  was  opened,  and 
a  young  man  was  shown  into  the  room. 

"  I  beg  your  pardon,"  he  said,  "  you  are  Miss 
Longworth  ?  " 

She  rose  at  once  from  the  piano  seat.  He  was 
not  dressed  for  the  evening,  and  he  carried  a  felt 
hat  in  his  hand.  Nevertheless  his  bearing  was 
pleasant  enough,  and  he  seemed  to  her  a  gentle- 
man. 

"  I  am  Miss  Longworth,"  she  answered. 
"  You  want  to  see  my  uncle,  I  suppose  ?  They 
have  made  a  mistake  in  showing  you  in  here." 

"  Not  at  all,"  he  answered,  with  an  ingratiating 
smile.  "  I  know  that  your  uncle  is  very  busy,  so 
I  took  the  liberty  of  asking  to  see  you.  It  is  such 
a  simple  matter  I  required,  that  it  was  not  worth 
while  interrupting  him.  My  name  is  Carr,  and 
I  am  on  the  World.  There  was  just  an  ordinary 
question  or  two  I  was  going  to  put  to  your  uncle, 
but  you  can  answer  them  just  as  well  if  you  will." 

"  You  mean  you  are  a  reporter  ?  "  she  asked. 


A  MEETING  OF  GIANTS          31 

"  That's  it,"  he  assented.  "  Odd  sort  of  life 
in  a  way,  because  it  sends  us  round  seeking 
sometimes  for  the  most  trivial  information.  For 
instance,  your  uncle  had  a  dinner-party  to-night, 
and  I  have  stepped  round  for  a  list  of  the  guests." 

"  I  do  not  see,"  she  answered  slowly,  "  what 
possible  concern  that  can  be  of  your  paper's." 

He  smiled  indulgently. 

"  Ah,  Miss  Longworth!  "  he  said,  "  you  have 
just  come  from  the  country,  I  believe.  You  do 
not  understand  the  way  we  do  things  in  New 
York.  Your  uncle  is  a  famous  man,  and  the 
public  who  buy  papers  to-day  are  dead  keen  upon 
knowing  even  the  most  trifling  things  that  such 
men  do.  In  fact,  I  have  been  sent  all  the  way 
up  from  down  town  simply  to  find  out  that  simple 
matter.  Of  course,  I  could  have  asked  the 
servants,  but  we  always  prefer  to  get  our  informa- 
tion from  one  of  the  family  where  possible.  Now, 
let  me  see.  Mr.  Weiss  was  here,  of  course  ?  " 

Virginia  hesitated,  but  only  for  a  moment. 

"  If  you  really  wish  for  these  details,"  she  said, 
"  you  must  ask  my  uncle.  I  do  not  care  to  tell 
you." 

"  But  say,  isn't  that  rather  rough  upon  your 
uncle  ?  "  he  asked  doubtfully.  '*  We  can't  bother 
him  with  every  little  thing.  Surely  there  can  be 
nothing  indiscreet  in  your  giving  me  the  names 
of  your  guests.  Most  people  send  them  to  the 
papers  themselves." 


32  THE  GOVERNORS 

"  I  do  not  know,"  Virginia  said,  "  whether  my 
uncle  would  wish  me  to  do  so.  In  any  case,  I 
shall  do  nothing  without  his  consent." 

The  young  man  frowned  slightly.  This  was 
not  to  be  so  easy  as  he  thought. 

'  Well,"  he  said,  "  I  can  get  the  names  from 
your  servants,  without  bothering  your  uncle. 
Must  be  rather  interesting  for  you,  Miss  Long- 
worth,  to  hear  these  famous  men  talk." 

She  shook  her  head. 

"  I  do  not  understand  one  half  of  what  they 
say,"  she  answered,  "  but  what  I  do  understand 
doesn't  sound  in  the  least  wonderful." 

He  smiled  appreciatively. 

"  I  can  quite  understand  that,"  he  said;  "but 
there  must  have  been  some  of  the  conversation 
that  you  understood.  For  instance,  the  Anti- 

J 

Trust  Bill  that  is  coming  before  the  House 
in  a  few  weeks.  They  ought  to  have  said  some 
interesting  things  about  that." 

Virginia  moved  calmly  across  the  room,  and 
before  the  young  man  had  perceived  her  intention 
she  had  rung  the  bell. 

"  I  think,"  she  said,  "  that  you  are  a  very 
impertinent  person.  Please  go  away  at  once." 

He  shrugged  his  shoulders  as  he  turned  towards 
the  door.  His  expression  was  still  entirely  good- 
humoured. 

"  Don't  be  angry  with  me,  Miss  Longworth," 
he  said,  as  he  paused  for  a  moment  with  his  hand 


A  MEETING  OF  GIANTS          33 

upon  the  knob  of  the  door;  "  it's  all  in  my  day's 
work,  you  know.  One  has  to  try  and  find  out 
these  things,  or  one  wouldn't  be  worth  one's 
place.  We  had  word  down  at  the  office  that  you 
had  just  come  from  the  country,  and  that  some- 
thing might  be  done  with  you." 

"  And  I  think  it  was  most  unfair  and  ungentle- 
manly,"  Virginia  began. 

"  It  seems  so,  I  dare  say,"  he  admitted,  "  from 
your  point  of  view;  but  you  must  remember, 
Miss  Longworth,  that  it  is  all  part  of  a  game 
which  is  played  here  all  the  time.  Each  side 
knows  the  other's  moves ;  there  is  no  deceit  about 
it.  Men  like  your  uncle,  who  want  to  cover  up 
their  actions,  take  as  much  pains  to  hoodwink 
us,  and  use  any  means  that  occur  to  them  to  keep 
us  in  the  dark  when  they  want  to.  They  just 
make  use  of  us,  and  we  have  to  try  and  make  use 
of  them.  Good  night,  Miss  Longworth !" 

He  left  the  room,  and  Virginia  returned  to  the 
piano.  Her  fingers  were  shaking,  however,  and 
she  was  unable  to  play.  She  took  up  a  book 
and  tried  to  read.  All  the  time  she  kept  glancing 
at  the  clock.  At  last  she  rose  to  her  feet  and  left 
the  room.  The  hour  and  a  half  was  up. 


CHAPTER  V 

TREACHERY 

COMEWHAT  to  Virginia's  surprise,  when  at 
^  last  she  stepped  with  beating  heart  into  the 
library,  she  found  her  uncle  alone.  He  was  sitting 
in  front  of  his  open  desk,  a  pile  of  papers  before 
him,  and  a  long,  black-looking  cigar  between  his 
teeth.  Scarcely  glancing  up,  he  motioned  her  to 
a  seat. 

"  In  five  minutes,"  he  said,  "  I  shall  want  to 
talk  to  you.'* 

She  sat  down  in  one  of  the  chairs,  now  vacant, 
which  had  been  drawn  up  to  the  study  table.  The 
air  of  the  room  was  heavy  with  tobacco  smoke, 
and  there  were  empty  liqueur  glasses  upon  the 
sideboard.  Yet  Virginia  somehow  felt  that  it  was 
not  only  to  take  their  after-dinner  coffee,  and 
enjoy  a  chat  over  their  cigars,  that  these  men 
had  met  together  around  the  table  before  which 
she  was  sitting.  She  had  the  feeling  somehow 
that  things  had  been  happening  in  that  little  room, 
of  which  she  and  Phineas  Duge  were  now  the 
only  occupants. 

"Virginia!" 

She  turned  her  head  suddenly.  Her  uncle  was 
looking  at  her.  His  eyes  had  lost  their  far-away 


TREACHERY  35 

gleam,  and  were  fixed  upon  hers,  cold  and  ex- 
pressionless. 

*  Yes,  uncle!  "  she  said. 

"  I  want  to  talk  to  you  for  a  few  moments," 
he  said.  "  Listen,  and  don't  interrupt." 

She  leaned  a  little  toward  him  in  an  attitude 
of  attention.  The  words  seemed  to  frame  them- 
selves slowly  upon  his  lips. 

'  You  have  been  wondering,  I  suppose,  like 
all  the  rest  of  the  world,"  he  began,  "  why  I  sent 
for  you  here.  I  am  going  to  tell  you.  But  first 
of  all  let  me  know  this.  Are  you  satisfied  with 
what  I  have  done  for  you,  and  for  your  people  ? 
In  other  words,  have  you  any  feeling  of  what 
people,  I  believe,  call  gratitude  towards  me  ?  " 

"  I  wonder  that  you  can  ask  me  that,"  she 
answered,  a  little  tremulously.  '  You  know 
that  I  am  very,  very  grateful  indeed." 

"  You  like  your  life  ?  "  he  asked.  "  You  find 
it  "  -  he  hesitated  for  a  moment  — "  more  amus- 
ing than  at  Wellham  Springs  ?  " 

"  I  am  only  an  ordinary  girl,"  she  answered 
simply,  "  and  you  must  realize  what  the  difference 
means.  Life  there  was  a  sort  of  struggle  which 
led  nowhere.  Here  I  don't  see  how  any  one  could 
be  happier  than  I.  Apart  from  that,  what  you 
have  done  for  the  others  counts,  I  think,  for  more 
than  anything  with  me." 

"  I  am  glad,"  he  answered,  "  that  you  are 
satisfied.  You  think,  perhaps,  from  what  you 


36  THE  GOVERNORS 

have  seen  since  you  came  here  that  the  power  of 
money  has  no  limits.  I  can  tell  you  that  it  has 
very  fixed  and  definite  limits,  and  it  was  when  I 
realized  them  that  I  sent  for  you.  I  hope  to  gain 
from  you  what  in  all  New  York  I  should  not 
know  where  to  buy." 

She  was  careful  not  to  interrupt  him,  but  her 
eyes  were  full  of  mute  questions. 

"  I  mean,"  he  continued,  "  fidelity,  absolute 
unswerving  fidelity.  The  four  men  who  have 
been  here  to-night  call  themselves  my  friends. 
We  are  leagued  together  in  enterprises  of  immense 
importance.  Yet  take  them  one  by  one,  and 
there  is  not  one  whom  I  can  trust.  I  have 
proved  it.  I  pay  my  two  secretaries  more  highly 
than  any  other  employer  in  the  city.  They  do 
their  duty,  but  I  know  very  well  that  they  only 
wait  for  some  one  else  to  outbid  me,  and  they 
would  take  themselves  and  their  knowledge  of 
my  affairs  to  whoever  might  call  them.  It  has 
become  necessary  that  there  should  be  one  person 
in  whose  charge  I  can  repose  the  knowledge 
of  certain  things.  New  York  does  not  hold  such 
a  person.  That  is  why  I  have  sent  for  you." 

He  paused  so  long  that  she  ignored  his  injunc- 
tion of  silence. 

"  You  know  very  well,  uncle,"  she  said,  "  that 
I  am  not  clever,  and  that  I  understand  nothing 
whatever  about  business,  or  anything  to  do  with 
it,  but  I  can  at  least  promise  that  I  will  be  faithful. 


TREACHERY  37 

That  seems  a  very  poor  reward  for  all  that  you 
have  done  for  me." 

"  Yes !  "  he  answered,  "  I  believe  that  you  mean 
that.  Now  I  must  tell  you  this,  that  these  four 
men  who  have  dined  with  me  here  to-night,  with 
myself,  are  under  a  solemn  covenant  to  conduct 
all  our  operations  upon  the  market  and  in  finance, 
whether  in  this  country  or  in  Europe,  absolutely 
in  unison.  We  control  practically  an  unlimited 
capital,  and  we  pool  all  profits.  We  never  specu- 
late individually,  at  least  that  is  a  condition  of 
our  agreement.  You  may  not  understand  this, 
but  such  a  combination  as  ours,  honestly  adhered 
to,  can  do  what  it  likes  with  the  money-markets 
anywhere.  We  can  bend  them  to  our  will.  We 
buy  or  sell,  and  our  profits  are  sure.  We  keep 
our  agreement  secret,  but  even  then  it  is  guessed 
at.  I  can  assure  you  that  we  are  probably  the 
five  best  hated  men  in  America.  During  the  last 
two  years  we  have  made  great  fortunes.  Our 
system  is  perfect.  So  far  as  the  acquisition  of 
wealth  goes,  there  could  be  no  object  in  any 
treachery,  and  yet  one  of  these  five  men  is  playing 
a  double  game,  if  not  more." 

'  You  have  found  him  out  ?  "  she  asked 
breathlessly. 

He  shook  his  head. 

"  It  is  not  so  easy,"  he  said,  "  only  I  know.  To- 
night," he  continued,  lowering  his  voice  almost  to 
a  whisper,  "  a  new  suspicion  has  come  to  me.  I 


38  THE  GOVERNORS 

have  an  idea  that  there  is  a  scheme,  in  which  all 
four  are  concerned,  for  ruining  me  and  sharing 
the  plunder." 

"  It  is  infamous!  "  she  cried,  turning  pale. 

He  smiled  slowly.  It  was  the  smile  she  hated. 
It  seemed  to  change  his  face  from  the  similitude 
of  a  benevolent  divine  to  something  hard,  almost 
satanic. 

'  The  odds/'  he  continued,  "  seem  heavy,  but 
I  have  known  one  man  hold  his  own  against  four 
before  now.  You  may  not  understand  all  these 
different  points,  but  I  must  tell  you  this.  All 
through  America,  we  millionaires,  who  operate 
largely  upon  the  markets  and  control  the  finances 
of  the  country,  are  hated  by  the  middle  classes. 
We  are  hated  by  the  merchants,  the  fairly  well-off 
people,  the  labouring  classes,  and,  more  than  any 
others,  perhaps,  by  the  politicians.  Last  month 
it  was  decided  to  strike  a  dangerous  blow  at  us 
and  our  interests.  A  bill  is  to  come  before  the 
Senate  before  very  long  which  is  framed  purposely 
to  undermine  our  power.  Can  you  understand 
that  ?  " 

"  I  think  so,"  she  answered. 

"  It  was  to  discuss  this,"  he  continued,  "  that 
we  met  to-night.  I  laid  a  trap  for  my  four  friends, 
and  they  fell  into  it.  They  have  signed  a  docu- 
ment pledging  themselves  to  resist  this  bill,  in 
such  a  fashion  that  their  doing  so  renders  them 
parties  to  an  illegal  conspiracy.  That  document 


OF    THE    BLOCKS    SPRANG    UP    A    LITTLE    WAY,    AND    WAS 

EASILY  REMOVED.     Page  39 


TREACHERY  39 

is  in  my  possession.  They  all  signed  it,  and  it 
was  left  for  me  to  be  the  last.  No  one  noticed 
that  my  name  was  written  across  a  piece  of  paper 
laid  over  the  document  itself.  Now  this  I  keep 
as  a  hostage  over  them.  Sooner  or  later,  when 
their  plans  mature,  it  will  occur  to  them  what 
they  have  done.  They  will  remember  that,  so 
long  as  I  hold  this  document,  I  have  them  in  my 
power.  Weiss  was  uneasy  before  he  left  the  room 
to-night.  In  less  than  a  week  they  will  be  trying 
to  regain  possession  of  that  document  under 
some  pretext  or  other.  I  am  going  to  show  you 
where  I  keep  it." 

He  pushed  his  chair  away  and  pulled  up  the 
rug  from  beneath  it.  Even  then  Virginia,  who 
had  obeyed  his  gesture  and  was  standing  by  his 
side,  could  see  nothing  unusual  in  the  appearance 
of  the  hardwood  floor.  She  watched  his  finger, 

o        ' 

however,  count  the  cracks  from  a  knot  in  the 
wood.  Then  he  pressed  a  certain  spot,  and  one 
of  the  blocks  sprang  up  a  little  way  and  was  easily 
removed.  Beneath  it  was  the  steel  lid  of  a  small 
coffer,  with  two  keyholes. 

'  This  is  my  hiding-place,"  he  said  calmly, 
"  and  these,"  he  added,  "  are  the  keys." 

He  laid  before  her  two  keys  of  curious  device, 
and  he  took  from  a  drawer  in  his  desk  a  thin 
chain  of  platinum  and  gold. 

"  Now,"  he  said,  "  you  are  going  to  be  the 
guardian  of  these  keys.  You  are  going  to  wear 


40  THE  GOVERNORS 

this  chain  around  your  neck  all  the  time,  and  the 
keys  are  going  in  here." 

He  drew  from  his  pocket  a  gold  locket,  and 
touching  the  spring  showed  her  that  inside, 
instead  of  any  place  for  a  photograph,  were  little 
embedded  pads  of  velvet,  shaped  for  the  keys. 
He  placed  them  in  and  hung  the  locket  around 
her  neck.  She  looked  at  it,  half  terrified. 

"  I  do  not  understand,"  she  said,  "  why  you 
trust  me  with  this.  Surely  it  would  be  safer  with 
you!" 

He  smiled  grimly. 

*  You  do  not  know  my  friends,"  he  said. 
"  Remember  that  in  my  possession  is  not  only 
the  document  which  must  cause  them  to  abandon 
their  great  scheme  of  attack  upon  me,  but  also 
that  that  same  document,  if  made  proper  use  of, 
means  ruin  and  ridicule  for  them.  New  York 
is  a  civilized  city,  it  is  true,  but  money  can  buy 
the  assassin's  pistol  to-day  as  easily  as  it  bought 
the  bravo's  knife  a  few  hundred  years  ago. 
Have  you  ever  thought  of  the  number  of  unex- 
plained, if  not  undetected  crimes  you  read  of  con- 
tinually, in  which  the  victims  are  generally  rich 
men  ?  Perhaps  not,  and  you  need  not  worry 
your  little  head  about  it,  but  take  my  word  for 
it,  the  keys  are  safer  with  you." 

Virginia  laid  her  hand  tremulously  upon  the 
locket. 

"  They  shall  be  safe,"  she  said,  "  but  tell  me 


TREACHERY  41 

this.  I  am  never  to  give  them  up  to  any  one  but 
you  ?  " 

"  Never  under  any  conditions,"  he  answered. 

"  Not  even,"  she  asked,  "  if  any  one  should 
bring  a  written  message  from  you  ?  " 

fe  Distrust  it,"  he  answered.  "  Do  not  give 
them  up.  Into  my  hands  only,  remember  that." 

The  telephone  bell  rang  suddenly  at  his  elbow. 
Phineas  Duge  took  off  the  receiver  and  held  it  to 
his  ear.  The  quiet,  measured  voice  of  Stephen 
Weiss  came  travelling  along  the  wire. 

"  Say,  Duge,  I  am  half  inclined  to  think  we 
made  a  mistake  in  signing  that  paper,"  he  said. 
"  Of  course,  I  know  it's  safe  in  your  keeping,  but 
I  don't  fancy  my  name  standing  written  on  a 
document  that  means  quite  what  that  means.  I 
fancy  that  Higgins  is  a  little  nervous,  too.  We'll 
meet  and  talk  it  over  to-morrow  night." 

Phineas  Duge  smiled  faintly  as  he  answered  — 

"  Just  as  you  like,  only  I  must  tell  you  that  I 
entirely  disagree.  Unless  we  strike,  and  strike 
quickly,  that  bill  will  become  law,  and  we  shall 
all  have  to  print  a  European  address  upon  our 
notepaper,  if  we  get  as  far." 

"  I  speak  for  the  others,  too,"  Weiss  continued. 
"  We'll  meet  right  here  to-morrow  night  to  discuss 
it.  Say  at  eight  o'clock." 

Phineas  Duge  laid  down  the  receiver  and 
turned  away. 

"  Well,"  he  said,  "  this  will  become  interesting. 


42  THE  GOVERNORS 

They  will  not  strike  now  until  they  have  got  hold 
of  that  foolish  paper.  If  they  are  all  determined 
to  get  it  back,  and  I  resist,  they  will  know  that  the 
game  is  up,  and  that  I  have  seen  through  their 
little  scheme.  This  must  be  thought  about. 
Virginia,  do  I  look  ill  ?  " 

She  shook  her  head. 

"  I  thought  you  were  looking  very  well,  uncle," 
she  said. 

He  locked  up  his  desk,  and  looked  down  to 
see  that  the  surface  of  the  carpet  was  unruffled. 

'  To-morrow,"  he  said,  "  I  am  going  to  be  very 
ill  indeed!" 


CHAPTER  VI 

MR.    WEISS    IN   A   HURRY 

T71RGINIA  walked  along  Fifth  Avenue,  en- 
joying the  sunshine,  the  crowds  of  people, 
and  the  effect  of  a  new  hat.  Every  now  and  then 
she  stopped  to  look  in  a  shop,  and  more  than  once 
she  smiled  to  herself  as  she  remembered  how  she 
had  escaped  from  her  uncle's  house  by  flitting  out 
of  the  side  entrance.  For  she  had  found  herself 
within  the  last  few  hours  a  very  important  person 
indeed.  From  the  moment  the  doctor's  carriage 
had  stopped  before  the  door,  a  little  stream  of 
callers,  reporters,  business  friends,  and  others 
whom  she  knew  nothing  of,  had  thronged  the 
place,  unwilling  to  depart  without  some  definite 
news  of  this  unexpected  illness,  and  all  of  them 
anxious  to  obtain  a  word  or  two  with  her.  Al- 
ready a  "  Special  "  was  being  sold  on  the  streets, 
and  in  big  black  letters  she  read  of  the  alarming 
illness  of  Phineas  Duge.  She  had  left  both  his 
secretaries,  young  men  with  whom  as  yet  she  had 
exchanged  only  a  few  words,  hard  at  work  open- 
ing letters  and  answering  telegrams.  She  alone 
was  free  from  all  anxiety,  for  she  had  had  a  few 
words  with  her  uncle  before  she  came  out,  and  at 


44  THE  GOVERNORS 

her  entrance  the  languor  of  the  sick  man  disap- 
peared at  once,  and  he  had  spoken  to  her  with 
something  of  the  enjoyment  of  a  boy  enjoying  a 
huge  joke. 

She  paused  every  now  and  then  to  look  in  the 
shop  windows,  and  make  a  few  purchases.  Then, 
just  as  she  was  leaving  a  store,  and  hesitating  for 
a  moment  which  way  to  continue  her  walk,  a  man 
stopped  suddenly  before  her  and  raised  his  hat. 
It  was  Stephen  Weiss,  gaunt,  ill-dressed,  easily 
recognizable.  He  was  evidently  glad  to  see  her. 

*  This  is  real  good  fortune,  Miss  Longworth," 
he  said,  holding  her  hand  in  his,  as  though  afraid 
that  she  might  slip  away.  "  I  have  just  left  your 
house,  but  I  couldn't  seem  to  get  hold  of  anything 
very  definite  about  this  sudden  attack  of  your 
uncle's." 

"  I  know  very  little  about  it  myself,"  Virginia 
answered.  "  The  doctor  had  only  just  been 
when  I  came  away.  He  said,  I  believe,  that  it 
was  only  a  matter  of  a  complete  rest  for  several 
days,  perhaps  a  week,  and  then  possibly  a  short 
holiday." 

Mr.  Weiss  shook  his  head  thoughtfully. 

"  I  am  much  relieved  to  hear  that,"  he  de- 
clared. "  Your  uncle  is  one  of  my  oldest  friends, 
and,  apart  from  that,  we  are  concerned  in  one  or 
two  very  important  speculations  just  now,  things 
which  you,  young  lady,  would  scarcely  understand; 
but  it  would  be  awkward  if  he  were  laid  up." 


MR.  WEISS  IN  A  HURRY         45 

"  The  doctor  thinks,"  Virginia  remarked, 
"  that  he  will  be  able  to  attend  to  anything  very 
necessary  in  four  or  five  days.  They  will  not 
allow  him,  however,  even  to  look  at  a  newspaper 
until  then." 

Mr.  Weiss  nodded  thoughtfully. 

*  You  were  going  back  toward  the  house,  I 
see,"  he  remarked.  "  Permit  me  to  walk  with 
you  a  little  way." 

Virginia  hesitated  for  a  moment. 

"  I  have  a  little  more  shopping  to  do,"  she  said. 
"  I  was  not  going  home  just  yet." 

Mr.  Weiss,  however,  was  already  leading  her 
across  the  street. 

"  My  dear  young  lady,"  he  said,  "  I  have 
something  very  important  to  say  to  you.  I  am 
sure  you  will  not  mind  going  back  to  the  house 
with  me  now  and  continuing  your  walk  after- 
wards. It  is  in  your  uncle's  interests  as  much 
as  my  own." 

She  allowed  herself  to  be  led  along,  and 
when  they  had  reached  the  other  side  of  the 
Avenue,  Stephen  Weiss,  speaking  earnestly,  and 
stooping  a  little  towards  her,  commenced  his 
explanation. 

'  Your  uncle,"  he  said,  "  and  three  or  four  of 
us  whom  you  met  last  night,  are  engaged  just  now 
in  a  very  important  undertaking.  I  cannot  ex- 
plain it  to  you,  but  it  involves  a  great  many 
millions  of  dollars,  more  than  we  could  any  of  us 


46  THE  GOVERNORS 

afford  to  lose,  although,  as  you  know,  we  are  none 
of  us  poor  men.  Now  we  can  carry  this  thing 
right  through  without  bothering  your  uncle,  and 
make  a  success  of  it,  but  there  is  just  one  thing 
we  must  have,  and  that  is  a  paper  which  he  has 
locked  away  in  his  study,  and  which  is  a  sort  of  key 
to  the  situation.  I  spoke  to  your  uncle  about  it 
last  night  over  the  telephone,  and  he  agreed  to 
have  it  ready  for  me  when  I  called  this  morning. 
I  could  not  find  any  one  at  the  house,  however, 
who  had  received  instructions  about  it,  so  I  con- 
cluded that  he  had  perhaps  left  word  with  you." 

"No!"  she  answered,  "he  has  not  told  me 
anything." 

"  Miss  Longworth,"  he  continued,  laying  his 
hand  for  a  moment  upon  her  arm,  "  you  know 
from  what  your  uncle  said  last  night  that  we  are 
all  practically  his  partners.  Now  in  his  interests 
and  all  of  ours,  and  naturally  therefore  in  yours, 
we  must  have  that  paper.  When  we  get  home, 
just  step  into  your  uncle's  room  and  say  one 
sentence  to  him.  Say  that  I  am  downstairs. 
He  will  know  what  I  want,  and  I  am  sure  he  will 
tell  you  to  give  it  to  me.  I  hate  to  have  to  bother 
him  just  now,  but  I  can  assure  you  that  it  would 
do  him  a  good  deal  more  harm  just  when  he  is 
pulling  round,  to  find  that  we  were  all  on  the 
wrong  side  of  things,  than  to  have  just  one 
sentence  breathed  into  his  ear  now." 

Virginia  seemed  to  hesitate. 


MR.  WEISS  IN  A  HURRY          47 

"  The  doctor's  orders,"  she  remarked,  "  were 
very  strict.  I  am  sure  I  don't  know  what  to  say." 

"  Doctors,"  Mr.  Weiss  said,  "  are  all  very 
well,  but  they  do  not  know  everything.  Just 
those  few  words  from  you  can  do  your  uncle  no 
possible  harm,  and  they  may  save  him  a  very 
bad  relapse  later  on.  I  wouldn't  press  this 
thing,  my  dear  young  lady,  if  I  wasn't  convinced 
of  its  tremendous  importance.  You  can  trust 
me  about  that." 

Virginia  walked  on  for  a  few  steps  in  silence. 
They  were  approaching  her  uncle's  house,  and 
already  a  small  crowd  of  people  were  collected, 
reading  the  bulletin  which  was  hung  upon  the 
railings.  Mr.  Weiss  stopped  short. 

"  Isn't  there  any  way  of  getting  in  without  being 
seen  by  all  this  crowd  ?  "  he  asked.  '  They'll 
worry  us  to  death  with  questions." 

She  nodded,  and  led  him  round  the  back  way. 
Even  here  they  were  caught,  however,  by  a  re- 
porter, whom  Mr.  Weiss  brushed  unceremoni- 
ously away.  Virginia  took  her  companion  into 
a  morning-room  upon  the  ground  floor,  and 
motioned  him  to  a  chair. 

"  If  you  will  wait  here,"  she  said,  "  I'll  go 
upstairs  and  see  my  uncle.  If  I  see  that  it  is  in 
any  way  possible,  I  will  do  as  you  ask." 

"  That's  good,"  he  declared.  "  If  you  don't 
mind,  Miss  Longworth,  I'll  just  step  into  the 
study,  where  we  were  last  night.  I  dare  say  one 


of  your  uncle's  young  men  will  be  there,  and  there 
are  a  few  minor  details  I'd  like  to  talk  over  with 
young  Smedley,  if  he's  about." 

"  I  will  find  Mr.  Smedley  for  you,"  Virginia 
said,  "  when  I  come  down.  I  am  sure  that  he 
is  not  in  the  library,  because  my  uncle  uses  that 
always  as  his  private  room.  Please  wait  here 
until  I  come  down." 

She  left  him  and  made  her  way  upstairs. 
The  door  of  her  uncle's  bedroom  was  guarded 
by  his  man  servant,  who  allowed  her,  however, 
to  pass.  Inside  the  room  Phineas  Duge  was 
sitting  in  an  easy-chair,  carefully  dressed,  smoking 
a  cigarette,  and  with  a  pile  of  newspapers  by  his 
side.  On  the  table  a  few  feet  away  was  a  tele- 
phone, the  receiver  of  which  he  had  just  laid 
down. 

'  Well,"  he  asked,  looking  up  as  she  entered, 
"  have  they  made  a  move  yet  ?  " 

"  I  met  Mr.  Weiss  on  Fifth  Avenue,"  she  said. 
"  He  explained  that  you  were  all  partners  in  some 
business  undertaking  of  very  great  importance. 
Then  he  went  on  to  say  that  they  could  carry  it  on 
all  right  without  you,  but  that  they  must  have  one 
paper,  which  he  said  was  the  key  to  the  position. 
He  remarked  that  he  had  telephoned  to  you  last 
night  about  it,  and  he  is  quite  sure  that  you  will 
give  me  orders  to  find  it  and  give  it  up  to  him. 
He  persuaded  me  even,  you  see,  to  break  the 
doctor's  orders." 


MR.  WEISS  IN  A  HURRY         49 

Phineas  Duge  smiled  quietly. 

"  I  am  too  ill  to  be  disturbed  about  such 
things,"  he  said,  lighting  a  fresh  cigarette.  "I 
do  not  know  what  paper  he  means.  If  you  come 
and  talk  to  me  again  about  business  matters,  I 
shall  send  for  the  doctor.  It  is  most  unreason- 
able. By  the  by,  where  did  you  leave  Mr.  Weiss  ?" 

"  In  the  morning-room,"  she  answered.  "  He 
wanted  to  go  into  the  library,  and  he  wanted  to 
see  Smedley,  but  I  told  him  to  wait  where  he  was 
till  I  got  down." 

"  I  hope  you  will  find  him  there,"  Phineas  Duge 
said.  "  He  can  see  Smedley  if  he  wants  to,  on 
your  responsibility  of  course.  Those  boys  know 
nothing.  Come  up  and  tell  me  how  he  takes  it." 

Virginia  went  down  to  the  morning-room  and 
found  it  empty.  She  crossed  the  hall,  opened  the 
door  of  the  outer  library  softly,  and  passed  with 
swift  silent  footsteps  into  the  smaller  apartment. 
Mr.  Weiss  was  standing  there  before  her  uncle's 
closed  desk,  regarding  it  contemplatively.  He 
looked  up  quickly  as  she  entered. 

"  Don't  think  I  am  taking  a  liberty,  Miss 
Longworth,"  he  said  calmly.  *  This  place  has 
been  a  sort  of  office  for  us,  and  your  uncle  lets 
us  do  about  as  we  please  here.  I  trust  you  are 
going  to  unlock  that  desk  and  give  me  the  paper 
I  want." 

Virginia  shook  her  head  slowly. 

"  I  am  sorry,"  she  said,  "  but  my  uncle  will 


50  THE  GOVERNORS 

not  discuss  business  matters  at  all.  He  did  not 
seem  to  remember  anything  about  a  paper,  and 
he  said  that  everything  must  wait  until  his  head 
is  a  little  clearer.  I  am  sorry  I  disturbed  him. 
I  am  afraid  that  the  doctor  will  be  very  angry 
with  me." 

Mr.  Weiss'  face,  clean-shaven  and  lined,  with 
his  spectacled  eyes  and  thin,  indrawn  lips,  was 
as  expressionless  as  a  face  could  be,  but  Virginia 
heard  him  draw  a  quick  little  breath,  and  his  very 
attitude  seemed  to  be  the  attitude  of  a  man  con- 
fronted with  calamity. 

"  Miss  Longworth,"  he  said  slowly,  "  this  is 
very  unfortunate." 

"  I  am  sorry,"  she  answered. 
"  Will   you   sit   down  ? "   he   said.     "  I   have 
something  to  say  to  you." 
She  shook  her  head. 

"  I  am  afraid  that  I  cannot  stay  now,"  she 
said.  "  I  have  so  many  things  to  do,  and  so 
many  notes  to  write." 

His  spectacled  eyes  looked  right  into  hers. 
"  This,"  he  said  quietly,  "  is  important. 
There  are  times,  Miss  Longworth,  when  the 
junior  in  command  of  a  great  enterprise  is  faced 
with  a  crisis,  when  he  or  she  is  forced  to  act 
upon  their  own  responsibility.  The  person 
who  is  great  enough  to  rise  to  an  occasion  like 
this  is  the  person  who  wins  and  deserves  success 
in  life.  You  follow  me,  Miss  Longworth  ?  " 


MR.  WEISS  IN  A  HURRY         51 

"  I  suppose  so,"  Virginia  answered,  a  little 
doubtfully,  although  in  her  heart  she  understood 
him  very  well  indeed. 

"  Miss  Longworth,"  he  said,  "  have  you  pluck 
enough  to  save  us  all  several  millions  of  dollars, 
and  to  make  your  uncle  grateful  to  you  for  life  ? 
In  other  words,  will  you  help  me  look  for  that 
paper  ?  " 

"  Without  my  uncle's  permission  ?  "  she  asked. 

'  Without  a  permission  which  he  would  give 
you  in  one  moment,"  Mr.  Weiss  declared,  "  if 
he  was  in  a  fit  state  to  look  after  his  own  affairs. 
Come,  you  shall  not  have  to  wait  until  he  recovers. 
For  a  part  of  your  reward,  at  any  rate,  there  is 
a  pearl  necklace  in  Streeter's,  which  I  saw  yester- 
day marked  forty  thousand  dollars.  It  shall  be 
yours  within  half  an  hour  of  the  time  I  get  that 
paper,  and  I  guarantee  that  your  uncle  will  give 
you  another  like  it  when  he  knows  what  you  have 
done." 

Virginia  shook  her  head  sorrowfully.  Her 
great  eyes  seemed  full  of  real  regret. 

"  Mr.  Weiss,"  she  said,  "  I  am  too  dull  and 
stupid  to  dare  to  do  things  on  my  own  account. 
I  can  only  obey,  and  I  am  afraid  all  these  beauti- 
ful rewards  are  not  for  me.  Even  if  my  uncle 
sends  me  away  when  he  gets  well,  I  must  do 
exactly  as  he  told  me,  no  more,  nor  any  less,  and 
one  of  those  things,"  she  added,  turning  and 
pressing  the  electric  bell  in  the  wall  by  her  side, 


52  THE  GOVERNORS 

"  was  that  no  one,  no  one  at  all,  should  enter  this 
room." 

Mr.  Weiss  stood  quite  still.  He  seemed  to 
be  thinking,  but  Virginia  could  see  that  his  hands 
were  tightly  clenched,  and  the  bones  of  his  long 
sinewy  ringers  were  standing  out,  straining  against 
the  flesh. 

"  I  am  disappointed  in  you,  Miss  Longworth," 
he  said.  '  You  have  a  great  opportunity.  It 
need  not  be  only  a  matter  of  the  necklace  - 

She  held  out  her  hands. 

"You  mustn't!"  she  begged.  "I  am  too 
frightened  of  my  uncle." 

Then  she  turned  suddenly  and  opened  the  door 
to  the  servant,  whose  approaching  footsteps  she 
had  heard. 

'  Will  you  please  show  Mr.  Weiss  out  ?"  she 
said.  "  He  is  in  rather  a  hurry." 

Mr.  Weiss  went  without  a  word. 


CHAPTER  VII 

A    PROFESSIONAL    BURGLAR 

'TMIERE  were  three  men  in  New  York  that 
day,  who,  although  they  occupied  their 
accustomed  table,  the  best  in  one  of  its  most 
exclusive  clubs,  and  although  their  luncheon 
was  chosen  with  the  usual  care,  were  never 
really  conscious  of  what  they  were  eating. 
Weiss  was  one,  John  Bardsley  another,  and 
Higgins,  the  railway  man,  the  third.  They  sat 
in  a  corner,  from  which  their  conversation  could 
not  be  overheard;  and  as  often  before  when  their 
heads  had  been  close  together,  people  looked 
across  at  them,  always  with  interest,  often  with 
some  envy,  and  wondered. 

"  I'd  like  you  both  to  understand,"  Weiss 
said,  speaking  with  unaccustomed  emphasis  as 
he  leaned  across  the  table,  "  that  I  don't  like  the 
look  of  things.  We  tackled  something  pretty 
big  when  we  tackled  Phineas  Duge,  and  if  he 
has  the  least  idea  that  these  Chicago  brokers 
have  been  operating  on  our  behalf,  it's  my  belief 
we  shall  find  ourselves  up  against  it." 

Higgins,  who  was  the  optimist  of  the  party, 
a  small  man,  with  the  unlined,  clear  complexion 


54  THE  GOVERNORS 

and  face  of  a  boy,  shrugged  his  shoulders  a  little 
doubtfully. 

"  That's  all  very  well,  Weiss,"  he  said,  "  but 
if  Phineas  had  been  going  to  find  us  out  at  all, 
he'd  have  found  us  out  three  weeks  ago,  when 
the  thing  started.  He  wouldn't  have  sat  still  and 
let  us  sell  ten  million  dollars'  worth  of  stock 
without  moving  his  little  finger.  I  guess  you've 

got  the  jumps,  Weiss,  all  because  we  were  d d 

fools  enough  to  sign  that  rotten  paper  last  night. 
All  the  same  I  don't  quite  see  how  he  could  ever 
use  that  against  us.  His  own  name's  there." 

"  I'm  not  so  sure  of  that,"  Weiss  said  quietly. 
"  I  tell  you  it  occurred  to  me  to  look  across  just 
as  he  was  blotting  the  page,  and  I  saw  that  he 
had  his  arm  right  round  the  paper,  and  it  didn't 
seem  to  me  that  he  was  blotting  the  place  where 
his  signature  ought  to  have  been." 

"  Why  didn't  you  ask  to  read  the  thing  through 
again  ?  "  Higgins  demanded. 

"  I  wish  I  had,"  W7eiss  answered  gloomily. 

Bardsley,  a  large  man,  with  grey  beard  and 
moustache,  and  coarse,  hard  face,  spoke  for  the 
first  time. 

"  Do  any  of  you  know,"  he  asked,  "  where- 
abouts in  that  infernal  little  room  of  his  Duge 
keeps  his  papers  ?  " 

Weiss  looked  up. 

"  I  am  not  sure,"  he  said.  "  I  know  that  he 
has  a  small  iron  strong-box  screwed  into  the 


A  PROFESSIONAL  BURGLAR       55 

inside  of  his  roll-top  desk,  and  of  course  there  is 
a  safe  in  the  outer  office;  but  I  don't  see  how 
we're  going  to  find  out  whether  the  paper  we 
want  is  there." 

'  The  girl  seemed  a  fool,"  Higgins  remarked. 
"  Can't  she  be  got  at  ?  " 

"  I  have  done  my  best,"  Weiss  answered.  "  It 
strikes  me  she's  just  fool  enough  to  stick  to  what 
she's  been  told,  and  she's  too  scared  of  her  uncle 
to  do  more  or  less.  She  practically  turned  me 
out  of  his  room  this  morning,  when  I  was  just 
having  a  look  round." 

"  If  there  is  really  anything,"  Higgins  said  in 
a  soft  voice,  "  in  what  Weiss  is  hinting  at,  there's 
only  one  thing  for  us  to  do,  and,  difficult  or  easy, 
it's  got  to  be  done,  even  if  we  use  our  friends  from 
down  there." 

He  motioned  with  his  head  toward  the  window 
which  was  behind  them,  and  which  looked  out 
over  the  river.  They  were  all  three  silent  for  a 
moment.  Then  Weiss  struck  the  table  lightly 
with  his  clenched  fist. 

"  Fools  that  we  are!  "  he  muttered  — "  babies! 
idiots!  To  think  that  such  men  as  Bardsley  and 
Higgins  and  myself  are  compelled  to  make  use  of 
criminals,  to  put  ourselves  practically  in  fear  of 
the  law,  to  get  back  a  paper  which  we  signed  like 
babes  in  the  wood.  What  if  this  illness  of  Duge's 
is  a  fake!  Nowadays  a  man  doesn't  need  to 
move  from  his  room  to  do  mischief  in  this  world." 


56  THE  GOVERNORS 

"  I've  been  round  to  his  broker's  this  morning," 
Higgins  remarked.  "  He  is  doing  nothing,  has 
done  nothing  for  weeks.  He  left  off  the  day  we 
all  agreed  to  leave  off." 

*  Why  couldn't  he  be  doing  as  we've  done," 
Bardsley  remarked,  "  and  work  from  Chicago  or 
Boston  ?  " 

Higgins  grunted,  and  poured  himself  out  a 
glass  of  wine. 

'  You  fellows  have  got  the  nerves,"  he  said 
contemptuously.  *  You're  imagining  things  like 
a  pack  of  frightened  women.  Duge  can't  swallow 
us  up,  even  if  he  tumbled  to  our  game.  I  don't 
believe  there's  anything  in  this  funk  of  yours.  As 
to  signing  that  paper,  well,  we've  got  to  run  the 
Government  of  this  country,  as  well  as  a  good 
many  other  things,  if  the  Government  won't 
leave  us  alone.  Duge's  name  is  on  it  right  enough, 
but  if  you  fellows  are  really  going  to  shake  all 
day  about  it,  let's  have  the  paper,  even  if  we  blow 
up  the  house.  I'll  send  for  Danes  to-night. 
We'll  meet  him  down  town  somewhere  —  two 
of  us,  no  more  —  and  see  what  he  can  suggest. 
If  we  get  that  paper,  and  Duge's  illness  isn't  a 
sham,  he'll  come  downstairs  to  face  the  biggest 
smash  that  any  man  in  New  York  has  ever 

dreamed  of,  and  serve  him  d d  well  right. 

I'm  sick  of  the  fellow  and  his  ways.  For  every 
million  we've  scooped,  he's  scooped  two.  Every 
deal  we've  been  into,  he's  had  a  little  the  best  of 


A  PROFESSIONAL  BURGLAR       57 

us.  We  are  going  to  get  our  own  back,  but  for 
Heaven's  sake  don't  let  us  spoil  the  game  because 
you  fellows  have  got  the  shivers.  We'll  have 
another  bottle  of  wine,  and  right  after  lunch  I 
shall  telephone  down  for  Danes.  Now  let's 
chuck  it.  There's  little  Simpson  and  Henderson 
watching  us  like  cats.  They'll  think  we've  got 
caught  on  something,  or  that  we  are  going  on  the 
market.  Eat  your  luncheon,  and  don't  forget 
my  supper-party  to-night.  The  whole  crowd 
from  the  Eden  Theatre  are  coming.  I  only  hope 
the  reporters  don't  get  hold  of  it." 

A  few  hours  later  Virginia  was  summoned  to 
her  uncle's  room.  As  she  entered  the  door  she 
passed  a  small,  insignificant-looking  man,  plainly 
dressed,  and  of  somewhat  servile  appearance, 
whom  she  remembered  to  have  seen  about  the 
place  several  times  since  her  arrival.  He  glanced 
at  her  in  passing,  and  Virginia  saw  that  his  eyes, 
at  any  rate,  were  keen  enough.  She  found 
her  uncle,  now  fully  dressed,  walking  up  and 
down  the  room,  with  his  hands  behind  his  back. 

"  I  have  just  had  news  of  our  friends,  Virginia," 
he  remarked.  '  They  are  evidently  very  much 
in  earnest.  If  they  can't  get  hold  of  that  paper 
by  strategy,  they  are  going  to  try  and  steal  it." 

'  Won't  that  be  a  little  difficult  ?  "  she  asked. 

He  smiled. 

"  More    difficult    than    they    imagine.    The 


58  THE  GOVERNORS 

coffer  itself  is  an  inch  thick,  and  the  lock  will 
stand  anything  but  dynamite.  However,  I  hear 
that  they've  engaged  a  professional  burglar,  so 
we  ought  to  get  some  amusement  out  of  it." 

"  How  did  you  hear  this  ?  "  she  asked. 

"  The  little  man  who  has  just  gone  out,"  he 
answered.  "  He  is  one  of  Pinkerton's  detectives, 
or  rather  he  was.  He  is  in  my  service  now,  and 
spends  most  of  his  time  watching  these  precious 
friends  of  mine.  I  expect  they  will  make  the 
attempt  to-night." 

"  What  are  you  going  to  do  ? "  she  asked. 
"Send  for  the  police?" 

Her  uncle  shook  his  head. 

"  Certainly  not,"  he  answered.  "  If  it  wasn't 
that  I  suppose  they  will  arrange  it  so  that  the 
affair  could  not  possibly  be  traced  back  to  them, 
I  should  be  in  the  room  myself.  As  it  is,  I  shall 
leave  the  matter  to  Leverson,  the  man  who  has 
just  gone  out.  He  will  get  as  much  help  as  he 
wants.  Only  if  you  hear  a  noise  in  the  night,  you 
will  know  what  to  expect." 

Virginia  shivered  a  little. 

"  There  will  be  a  fight,  I  suppose,"  she  said. 

"  There  may  be  some  shooting,"  he  answered. 
"  In  any  case,  I  am  not  afraid  of  their  opening  my 
safe-box." 


FIREARMS 

TN  the  middle  of  the  night  Virginia  was  awak- 
ened  by  the  sound  of  a  revolver  shot.  She 
put  on  her  dressing-gown,  and,  with  an  electric 
torch  in  her  hand,  started  to  descend  the  stairs. 
The  house  was  already,  however,  a  blaze  of  light. 
Electric  alarm  bells  were  ringing,  and  servants 
were  hurrying  toward  the  library.  The  man 
Leverson  was  sitting  in  an  easy-chair,  with  an 
ugly  gash  across  the  temple,  and  one  of  his  men 
had  a  revolver  wound  through  the  shoulder. 
One  of  the  two  burglars,  however,  whom  they  had 
surprised,  was  a  prisoner  in  their  hands,  a  pale, 
sullen-looking  man,  who  had  apparently  accepted 
his  fate  quite  philosophically.  He  was  just  being 
marched  off  by  the  uniformed  police  when  Vir- 
ginia arrived. 

"  Has  anything  been  taken  ? "  she  asked 
Leverson. 

"  Not    a    thing,    miss,"    the    man    answered. 

'  There  were  three  of  them,  but  two  escaped. 

One  was  Bill  Danes,  I'm  sure  o'  that,  and  we  can 

lay  our  hands  upon  him  at  any  time.     This  one 

I  don't  know,  but  they  meant  business.     They 


60  THE  GOVERNORS 

had  enough   dynamite  with  them  to  blow  the 
house  up." 

She  crossed  to  her  uncle's  desk  and  looked 
downward.  The  carpet  had  apparently  not  been 
disturbed.  There  were  no  signs  that  it  had  been 
touched  at  all. 

"  Are  these  men  ordinary  burglars  ?"  she  asked 
Leverson. 

He  hesitated. 

'  Why,  I  imagine  so,"  he  answered.  "  Their 
tools  are  as  smart  a  lot  as  ever  I  saw  in  my  life. 
They  had  spies  all  round  the  house  to  help  them 
escape,  and  this  one  would  have  got  away  too, 
if  I  hadn't  tripped  him  up." 

"  Curse  you!  "  the  bound  man  muttered. 

Virginia  looked  at  him  and  shivered. 
'  Well,  I  am  glad  you  caught  one  of  them," 
she  said.     "  I  will  go  and  tell  my  uncle." 

But  Phineas  Duge  already  knew  all  about  it. 

He  smiled  when  Virginia  brought  him  her  news. 

'  They  must  be  desperate  indeed,"  he  said, 

"  to  run  such  risks.     However,  I  suppose  they 

have  bought  these  fellows'  silence  safe  enough." 

The  midday  papers  were  full  of  the  attempted 
burglary.  Before  the  magistrates,  the  man  who 
had  been  apprehended  said  not  a  word.  He 
seemed  to  accept  his  position  with  stolid  fatalism. 
The  cross-examination  as  to  his  associates,  and 
the  motive  of  the  attempted  robbery,  was  abso- 
lutely futile. 


FIREARMS  61 

Phineas  Duge  kept  up  during  the  day  the 
assumption  of  severe  indisposition.  No  one 
was  allowed  to  see  him.  A  bulletin  posted 
outside  announced  that  he  had  been  ordered 
complete  and  entire  rest;  and  all  the  time  the 
telephone  wires  from  his  bedroom,  high  up  in 
the  back  of  the  house,  were  busy  flashing  mes- 
sages east  and  west,  all  over  the  country.  The 
work  in  which  he  had  been  engaged  was  zealously 
pushed  home.  No  one  saw  his  secretaries  coming 
and  going  so  often  from  his  room,  and  neither  of 
them  was  willing  to  admit,  in  fact  they  flatly 
denied  when  questioned,  that  they  had  seen  their 
chief  at  all.  Towards  afternoon,  Virginia  re- 
turned from  a  short  drive  in  the  park  to  be  told 
that  two  gentlemen  were  waiting  to  see  her. 
She  found  no  one  in  the  drawing-room  or  waiting- 
room,  however,  or  any  of  the  usual  reception- 
rooms,  and  rang  the  bell  for  the  butler. 

"  Where  are  these  people,  Groves,"  she  asked, 
"  who  want  to  see  me  ?  " 

"  They  are  in  the  library,  madam,"  the  man 
answered. 

"  You  mean  in  your  master's  room  ? "  she 
asked,  with  a  sudden  presentiment. 

'Yes,  madam!"  the  man  answered.  'You 
see,  they  are  Mr.  Weiss  and  Mr.  Higgins,  two  of 
the  master's  greatest  friends,  and  they  wished 
to  see  the  room  where  the  burglary  took  place." 

Virginia  looked  at  the  man  in  cold  anger. 


62  THE  GOVERNORS 

"  Groves,"  she  said,  "  you  had  my  orders  that 
no  one  was  to  be  admitted  into  that  room." 

"  I  am  sorry  if  I  did  wrong,  madam,"  the  man 
answered.  "  I  made  exception  in  favour  of 
these  two  gentlemen,  because  they  were  constant 
visitors  here,  an.d  old  friends  of  Mr.  Duge's,  and 
I  scarcely  thought  that  your  orders  would  apply 
to  them." 

Virginia  stepped  past  him  and  across  the  hall. 
She  entered  the  room  suddenly  and  closed  the 
door  behind  her.  Mr.  Weiss,  with  a  bunch  of 
keys  in  his  hand,  was  trying  to  find  one  that 
fitted  her  uncle's  desk.  Higgins,  who  held  an 
open  penknife,  seemed  to  have  been  attempting 
to  pry  the  lid.  They  started  as  they  saw  Vir- 
ginia enter,  and  it  flashed  into  her  mind  at  once 
that  they  had  waited  to  pay  their  visit  until  they 
had  seen  her  go  out,  and  that  her  return  so  quickly 
had  disconcerted  them. 

"  Mr.  Weiss,"  she  said,  crossing  the  room 
towards  them,  "  this  room  is  in  my  charge.  It 
is  by  my  uncle's  orders  that  no  one  enters  it.  I 
regret  that  you  were  shown  here  by  a  servant 
who  misunderstood  his  instructions.  WTill  you 
come  into  the  morning-room  with  me  at  once  ?  " 

O 

Mr.  Weiss  stood  up.  Higgins  had  moved  a 
little  toward  the  door,  and  Virginia  suddenly 
realized  that  her  retreat  was  cut  off. 

'  Young  lady,"  the  former  said,  "  you  must 
forgive  us  both,  and  me  especially,  if  we  speak 


FIREARMS  63 

to  you  very  plainly.  I  told  you  about  the  docu- 
ment in  which  we  were  interested,  which  your 
uncle  was  holding  yesterday.  We  were  willing 
te  let  it  remain  here  under  ordinary  circumstances, 
but  after  the  events  of  last  night,  we  do  not  pro- 
pose to  let  it  stay  here  another  hour.  If  your 
uncle  is  not  well  enough  to  be  spoken  to,  then 
we  must  take  the  matter  into  our  own  hands. 
You  can  see  for  yourself  what  a  risk  we  run,  when 
only  last  night  an  attempt  was  very  nearly  suc- 
cessfully made  to  steal  these  papers." 

"  I  hear  what  you  say,"  Virginia  answered. 
"  May  I  ask  what  you  intend  to  do  ?  " 

'  To  break  open  this  desk,  if  necessary,"  Mr. 
Weiss  said,  "  and  to  find  our  way  somehow  or 
other  into  the  interior  of  the  coffer  where  these 
papers  are." 

"  And  supposing  I  tell  you,"  she  answered 
calmly,  "  that  I  shall  not  permit  a  second  burglary 
in  this  room  within  twenty-four  hours  ?  " 

Higgins  came  forward. 

"  Miss  Virginia,"  he  said,  "  pardon  me,  Miss 
Longworth,  you  look  like  a  sensible  young  woman. 
I  believe  you  are.  Consider  our  position.  Our 
whole  future  as  men  of  influence  and  character 
depends  upon  certain  papers,  of  which  your 
uncle  had  charge,  being  kept  absolutely  secret. 
We  entrusted  him  with  the  care  of  them  in  health, 
but  we  are  not  prepared  to  let  them  stay  here  now 
that  he  is  lying  upstairs  dangerously  ill,  and  one 


64  THE  GOVERNORS 

attempt  to  steal  them  has  already  been  made. 
Take  the  case  at  its  worst;  if  your  uncle  should 
die,  a  seal  would  be  put  upon  all  his  effects,  and 
nothing  in  the  world  could  stop  those  documents 
becoming  public  property.  You  can't  realize 
what  that  would  mean  to  us.  It  would  mean 
ruin  not  only  to  ourselves,  but  to  hundreds  of 
others.  It  would  mean  a  panic  in  all  the  money- 
markets  of  the  world.  We  only  meant  that 
paper  to  remain  in  existence  for  a  matter  of 
twenty-four  hours.  We  are  fully  determined 
that  it  shall  not  remain  in  this  room  any  longer, 
guarded  or  unguarded.  Can't  you  sympathize 
with  us  ?  Don't  you  see  the  position  we  are  in  ?" 

'  Whatever  is  in  this  room,"  Virginia  said,  "  is 
safe  until  my  uncle  is  well  enough  to  decide  what 
shall  be  done.  While  he  remains  in  his  present 
condition  I  shall  not  allow  anything  to  be  dis- 
turbed." 

'  You  have  relations,"  Higgins  said  to  her 
meaningly,  "  whom  you  would  like  to  help.  One 
could  not  offer  to  bribe  you.  Don't  think  that  I 
mean  anything  of  the  sort.  But  between  us  we 
will  give  one  hundred  thousand  dollars  for  those 
papers,  and  I  guarantee  that  when  your  uncle 
recovers  he  will  be  quite  willing  to  give  you  an- 
other hundred  thousand  for  having  been  sensible 
enough  to  let  us  have  them." 

Virginia  turned  her  back  upon  him. 

"  This  is  not  a  matter,"  she  said,  "  if  you  please, 


A    BULLET    WHISTLED    ONLY    A    FEW    INCHES    FRO3I    HIS    HEAD. 

Page  65 


FIREARMS  65 

Mr.  Weiss,  which  I  can  discuss  with  you  or  your 
friend.  I  cannot  let  you  stay  in  this  room.  If 
you  will  not  go  away,  I  must  ring  for  the  servants." 

Higgins  made  a  sudden  movement,  as  though 
to  seize  her  by  the  arms,  but  she  was  too  quick  for 
him.  She  wheeled  suddenly  round,  and  some- 
thing very  small  but  very  deadly  looking  flashed 
out  in  her  hand. 

*  You  will  force  me,"  she  said,  "  to  treat  you 
like  thieves.  I  know  that  you  are  not,  but  I  shall 
treat  you  as  though  you  were  if  you  don't  leave 
this  room.  Don't  think  that  this  is  a  toy  either," 
she  continued.  "  Revolver  shooting  was  one  of 
our  favourite  recreations  up  in  the  country.  Will 
you  get  up  from  that  desk,  Mr.  Weiss  ?  " 

He  stooped  down  and  tried  one  of  the  keys 
from  his  bunch.  Virginia  did  not  hesitate.  She 
pulled  the  trigger  of  her  revolver,  and  a  bullet 
whistled  only  a  few  inches  from  his  head.  He 
sprang  upright  in  a  minute. 

"Damn  the  girl!"  he  said.  "Higgins,  take 
that  thing  away  from  her." 

But  Virginia  was  standing  with  her  back  to  the 
wall,  and  Higgins,  after  one  look  into  her  face, 
shook  his  head. 

"Don't  be  a  fool,  Weiss,"  he  said.  "This 
sort  of  thing  won't  do.  You've  lost  your  head. 
Beg  Miss  Longworth's  pardon  and  come  away. 
She  is  quite  right.  There  is  no  excuse  for  our 
behaving  like  this." 


66  THE  GOVERNORS 

Weiss  hesitated  for  a  moment,  looked  into 
Virginia's  face  himself,  and  with  a  shrug  of  the 
shoulders  admitted  defeat.  The  two  men  moved 
toward  the  door. 

"  I  am  going  to  call  now  upon  your  uncle's 
physician,"  Weiss  said.  "  I  am  going  to  tell  him 
that  whatever  the  risk  to  your  uncle  may  be,  we 
must  have  an  interview  with  him." 

"  As  you  please,"  Virginia  answered.  "  That 
has  nothing  to  do  with  me." 

They  left  the  room  and  closed  the  door  behind 
them.  Virginia,  breathing  a  little  quickly, 
crossed  the  room  and  tried  the  desk,  but  it  was 
still  fast  locked.  She  looked  down  at  the  carpet 
and  found  it  undisturbed.  Then  she  stood  up, 
and  started  violently.  The  inner  door  leading 
into  the  secretaries'  room  was  open,  and  her 
uncle  was  standing  there  upon  the  threshold. 
He  smiled  at  her  benevolently. 

"  I  congratulate  you,  Virginia,"  he  said. 
'  You  have  routed  two  of  the  worst  scoundrels 
in  New  York.  Now  please  help  me  to  get  up- 
stairs again  without  being  seen." 


CHAPTER  IX 

CONSPIRATORS 

'  I  AHE  great  automobile  swung  out  of  the  park 
•*-  into  the  avenue,  and  Stella  drew  a  little 
sigh  of  regret. 

"  Mine  is  the  next  turning,"  she  said.  '  Thank 
you  so  much,  Mr.  Littleson.  I  have  enjoyed 
every  minute  of  it." 

Littleson  smiled,  but  he  did  not  slacken  speed. 

"  I  was  very  fortunate  indeed  to  meet  you," 
he  said,  "  but  I  shall  not  think  of  letting  you  go 
until  you  have  had  some  lunch.  It  is  nearly 
one  o'clock." 

Stella  settled  down  again  in  her  seat. 

"  That  is  very  kind  of  you,"  she  said.  "  I  had 
an  idea  that  you  were  such  a  tremendously  busy 
person,  that  you  never  stopped  work  for  luncheon 
or  trifles  of  that  sort." 

"  A  mistake,  I  can  assure  you,"  he  said. 
'  Which  do  you  prefer,  Sherry's  or  Delmonico's  ?" 

"  Martin's,  if  you  don't  mind,"  she  answered. 
"I  like  watching  a  crowd  of  people." 

They  found  a  quiet  table  in  one  of  the  balconies, 
and  Littleson  devoted  several  minutes  to  ordering 
a  luncheon  which  should  be  worthy  of  his  repu- 


68  THE  GOVERNORS 

tation.  Then  he  leaned  across  the  table  and 
looked  steadily  at  his  companion. 

"  Miss  Duge,"  he  said,  "  we  have  known  one 
another  for  some  time,  although  chance  has  never 
been  very  kind  to  me  in  the  way  of  bringing  us 
together.  Now  I  am  going  to  tell  you  something 
which  I  dare  say  will  surprise  you.  When  I  saw 
you  in  the  park  this  morning,  I  was  on  my  way  to 
call  upon  you.'* 

She  raised  her  eyebrows.  She  was  certainly 
surprised. 

"  Do  you  mean  that  ?  "  she  asked. 

"  I  mean  it,"  he  answered. 

"  But  why  ?  I  have  seen  so  little  of  you.  I 
had  no  idea  that  you  knew  even  what  had  become 
of  me  since  I  had  left  my  father." 

"  I  am  going  to  explain  everything  by  and  by," 
he  said,  "  but  first  of  all  I  want  to  ask  you  one 
question.  Do  you  know  anything  about  this 
illness  of  your  father's  ?  Do  you  believe  that  it 
is  a  genuine  thing,  or  that  he  has  some  motive 
of  his  own  for  keeping  to  his  room  ?  " 

A  faint  smile  parted  Stella's  lips. 

"  I  begin  to  understand,"  she  murmured.  "  I 
must  admit  that  I  was  puzzled  at  your  sudden 
interest  in  me." 

"  Does  it  need  any  particular  reason  ?  "  he 
asked,  looking  at  her  admiringly. 

Stella,  who  was  conscious  of  a  new  hat  and  a 
very  becoming  gown,  laughed  softly. 


CONSPIRATORS  69 

"  Well,  perhaps  it  shouldn't,"  she  said,  "  but, 
you  see,  you  have  given  yourself  away.  But  I 
may  as  well  warn  you  at  once  that  I  know  nothing 
about  my  father.  He  has  even  forbidden  me  the 
house,  and  I  have  not  seen  him  for  weeks." 

He  nodded. 

"  So  I  understood,"  he  said.  "  May  I  be  quite 
frank  ?  " 

"  Of  course,"  she  answered.  "  If  you  really 
have  anything  to  say  to  me,  I  should  prefer  it." 
'  Then  after  the  oysters  I  will  undertake  to 
be,"  he  declared,  smiling. 

He  turned  away  to  send  a  boy  out  for  some 
flowers  and  order  some  wine,  and  afterwards  they 
proceeded  with  their  lunch,  talking  of  the  slight 
things  of  the  moment.  Littleson,  in  that  little 
group  of  millionaires,  represented  youth,  and  to 
a  certain  extent  fashion.  He  came  from  one  of 
the  better-known  families  in  New  York.  He 
had  rooms  and  connections  in  London  and  Paris. 
He  was  fairly  good  looking,  and  always  irre- 
proachably dressed.  Stella  looked  at  him  more 
than  once  approvingly.  He  was  certainly  a 
desirable  companion.  For  the  rest,  she  had  little 
vanity,  and  she  knew  well  enough  that  he  had 
some  purpose  of  his  own  in  seeking  her  out.  She 
had  only  known  of  him  as  one  of  her  father's  allies, 
and  she  was  puzzled  to  know  the  meaning  of  that 
first  question  of  his. 

He  seemed  in  no  hurry,  however,  to  satisfy 


70  THE  GOVERNORS 

her  curiosity.  He  had  ordered  a  wonderful  lunch, 
and  not  until  they  had  reached  its  final  stage  did 
he  refer  again  to  anything  approaching  serious 
conversation.  Then  he  leaned  a  little  across 
the  table  towards  her,  and  she  felt  the  change  in 
his  expression  and  tone,  as  he  began  to  speak 
in  lowered  voice. 

"  Miss  Duge,"  he  said,  "  I  dare  say  you  were 
surprised  at  my  question  to  you.  Let  me  explain. 
Your  father  and  several  others  of  us  have  been 
allies  for  some  time  in  some  very  important 
matters  connected  with  finance.  For  the  last  few 
months,  however,  we  have  all  felt  a  sort  of  vague 
uneasiness  one  with  the  other.  Apparently  we 
were  all  still  pulling  the  same  way,  yet  I  think 
that  each  one  of  us  had  the  feeling  that  there  was 
something  wrong.  We  all  began  to  distrust  one 
another.  To  come  to  an  end  quickly,  I  hope  I 
do  not  offend  you,  Miss  Duge,  when  I  say  that  it 
is  my  belief  that  your  father  has  been  and  is  trying 
to  deceive  us  for  his  own  benefit." 

Stella  nodded  assent. 

"  Well,"  she  said,  "  I  don't  know  why  you 
should  imagine  that  it  could  offend  me  to  hear 
you  say  that.  I  understood  that  amongst  you 
who  control  the  money-markets  there  is  no  friend- 
ship, nor  any  right  and  wrong.  At  least  if  there 
is,  it  is  the  man  who  succeeds  who  is  right,  and 
the  man  who  fails  who  is  wrong." 

'  To  a  certain  extent  you  are  right,  Miss  Duge,'* 


CONSPIRATORS  71 

he  answered,  "  but  you  must  remember  that  there 
is  an  old  adage, '  Honour  amongst  thieves! ' 

She  shrugged  her  shoulders. 
'  Well,"  she  said,  "  we  won't  discuss  that. 
You  have  got  so  far  in  your  story  as  to  tell  me 
that  you  believe  my  father  is  trying  to  get  the 
best  of  you  all,  and  you  seem  to  be  a  little  nervous 
about  it.  Well,  I  know  my  father,  and  I  don't 
mind  telling  you  that  I  should  not  be  in  the  least 
surprised  if  you  were  right." 

He  lit  a  cigarette  and  passed  the  box  across  the 
table  to  her. 

"  Good !  "  he  said.  "  It  is  a  pleasure  to  talk 
to  you,  Miss  Duge.  You  grasp  everything  so 
quickly.  Now  you  understand  the  position,  then. 
There  are  three  or  four  of  us,  including  myself, 
on  one  side,  and  your  father  on  the  other.  Sup- 
posing it  was  in  your  power  to  help  either,  and 
your  interests  lay  with  us,"  he  added,  speaking 
with  a  certain  meaning  in  his  tone  —  "well,  to 
cut  it  short,  how  should  you  feel  about  it  ?  " 

'  You  mean,"  she  said  slowly,  "  would  my  filial 
devotion  outweigh  —  other  considerations  ?  " 

He  looked  at  her  admiringly. 

*  You   are  a  marvel,  Miss  Duge,"  he  said. 
'  That  is  exactly  what  I  do  mean." 

She  leaned  back  in  her  chair  for  a  moment, 
and  looked  thoughtfully  through  the  little  cloud 
of  cigarette  smoke  into  the  face  of  the  man  oppo- 
site to  her. 


72  THE  GOVERNORS 

'  You  have  probably  heard,"  she  said,  "  that 
my  father  turned  me  out  of  his  house." 

'  There  was  a  rumour "  he  began  hesi- 
tatingly. 

"Oh!  it  was  no  rumour,"  she  interrupted.' 
"  He  took  care  that  every  one  knew  that  I  had 
given  Norris  Vine  some  information  about  his 
doings  in  Canadian  Pacifies.  If  I  were  back 
at  home,  which  I  never  shall  be,  I  would  do  the 
same  thing  again.  I  have  lived  with  my  father 
since  I  came  back  from  Europe,  and  I  know  what 
manner  of  a  man  he  is.  I  think,"  she  continued, 
looking  away  from  him,  and  speaking  more 
thoughtfully,  "  that  I  was  just  like  the  average 
girl  when  I  came  back  to  New  York.  I  lived  with 
my  father  for  two  or  three  years,  and  —  well  - 
it  would  be  a  severe  lesson  for  any  one.  However, 
this  doesn't  matter.  And  I  am  not  over-sensitive. 
If  you  have  anything  to  say  to  me,  say  it." 

"  I  will,"  he  answered.  '  We  have  an  idea 
that  at  any  moment  there  may  be  war  between 
us  and  your  father.  I  think  that  the  odds  would 
be  very  much  in  our  favour  but  for  one  thing. 
Your  father  has  a  paper  which  we  foolishly 
enough  all  signed  one  night,  which  places  us 
practically  in  his  power.  If  that  paper  were 
given  to  the  Press,  we  should  all  of  us  be  ruined 
men  —  I  mean  so  far  as  prestige  and  position 
are  concerned.  Further,  I  am  not  sure  that  we 
should  not  have  to  leave  the  country  altogether." 


CONSPIRATORS  73 

She  looked  at  him  in  wonder.  '  Whatever 
made  you  sign  such  a  paper  ? "  she  asked. 

He  shook  his  head. 

"  Heaven  knows!  "  he  answered.  '*  We  were 
a  little  mad.  We  did  not  mean  to  leave  it  in  your 
father's  charge,  however.  That  is  why  this 
illness  of  his  is  so  embarrassing  to  us.  We  can't 
help  an  idea  that  it  is  to  keep  out  of  our  way  for 
a  few  days,  and  to  retain  possession  of  that 
wretched  document,  that  he  is  lying  by.  If,  on 
the  other  hand,  his  illness  is  genuine,  and  he  were, 
to  put  it  bluntly,  to  die,  that  paper  would  be 
discovered  by  his  lawyer,  and  Heaven  knows 
what  he  would  do  with  it!  " 

"  I  am  beginning  to  understand,"  Stella  said. 
"  Now  please  tell  me  where  I  come  in." 

'  We  are  willing,"  Littleson  said  quietly,  "  to 
give  a  hundred  thousand  dollars  to  the  person 
who  places  that  paper  in  our  charge.  To  any 
one  who  knew  your  father's  house,  and  where  he 
keeps  his  important  documents,  the  task  would 
not  be  an  impossible  one." 

She  looked  at  him  fixedly  for  several  moments. 
He  was  half  afraid  that  she  was  going  to  get  up 
and  leave  him.  Instead,  however,  she  broke 
into  a  hard  little  laugh,  and  helped  herself  to 
another  cigarette. 

'  You  forget,"  she  said,  "  that  I  have  no  longer 
the  entree  to  my  father's  house." 

"  It   would    be   perfectly   easy   for   you,"   he 


74  THE  GOVERNORS 

answered,  "  to  go  there,  especially  with  your 
father  out  of  the  way  upstairs.  I  presume  that 
you  know  where  he  keeps  his  important  papers  ?  " 
'Yes!  I  know  that,"  she  answered.  "It  is 
a  pity,"  she  added,  with  a  faint  smile  upon  her 
lips,  "  that  those  burglars  didn't,  isn't  it  ?  " 

He  shrugged  his  shoulders. 

"  A  clumsy  effort  that,  of  course,"  he  admitted, 
"especially  when  your  father  has  a  detective 
always  round  the  place.  He  is  well  guarded,  but 
I  think  that  you  could  do  better  than  that  if  you 
would,  Miss  Duge." 

"  About  the  paper  ?  "  she  asked. 

"  It  is  simply,"  he  answered,  "  a  sheet  of  fools- 
cap. I  will  not  tell  you  exactly  what  is  written 
upon  it,  but  it  contains  a  proposal  with  reference 
to  raising  a  certain  sum  of  money,  to  remove  from 
office  certain  prominent  politicians  who  are  sup- 
porting this  Anti-Trust  Bill.  Our  names  are  all 
there,  Bardsley's,  Weiss',  Seth  Higgins',  and  my 
own.  Your  father's  should  have  been  there, 
but  I  believe  he  was  too  clever  for  us." 

She  began  drawing  on  her  gloves. 

"  Well,"  she  said,  "  I  have  had  a  delightful 
morning,  thanks  to  you,  and  these  roses  are 
lovely.  Supposing  I  should  feel  that  my  grati- 
tude still  requires  some  expression,  where  could  I 
write  you  ?  " 

He  handed  her  a  card,  which  she  tucked  into 
her  muff.  They  left  the  restaurant  together, 


CONSPIRATORS  75 

talking  again  of  the  people  whom  they  passed, 
of  the  play  at  the  theatre,  of  which  they  were 
reminded  by  the  sight  of  a  popular  actress,  and 
other  indifferent  matters.  He  offered  his  auto- 
mobile, which  she  declined. 

"  I  am  going  to  make  a  call  quite  close  to  here," 
she  said.  "Good-bye!" 

"  I  hope  that  I  shall  hear  from  you  soon,"  he 
said,  bowing  over  her  hand. 

'  You  may,"  she  answered,  smiling,  as  she 
turned  away. 


CHAPTER  X 

MR.    NORRIS    VINE 

CTELLA  walked  briskly  down  Fifth  Avenue 
^  and  turned  into  Broadway.  Here  she  took 
a  car  down  town,  and  presented  herself  in  the 
space  of  twenty  minutes  or  so  before  the  offices 
of  Mr.  Norris  Vine,  at  the  top  of  a  great  flight  of 
stairs  in  a  building  near  Madison  Square.  Vine 
himself  opened  the  door,  and  led  her  through  the 
clerk's  office  into  his  own  small  but  luxurious 
apartment. 

'  You  were  just  going  out  ?  "  she  asked. 

"  It  is  no  matter,"  he  answered.  "  I  have  at 
least  half  an  hour  that  I  can  spare." 

He  led  her  to  his  easy-chair,  and  seated  him- 
self in  the  chair  before  his  desk.  The  sunshine 
fell  upon  his  thin,  somewhat  hard  face,  and  she 
looked  at  him  thoughtfully. 

"  Are  you  getting  older,  Norris  ?  "  she  asked, 
"  or  are  things  going  the  wrong  way  with  you 
just  now  ?  " 

He  raised  his  eyebrows. 

"  It  is  a  very  strenuous  life  this,"  he  remarked. 
"  One  has  to  crush  all  one's  nervous  instincts,  and 
when  one  has  succeeded  in  doing  that,  one  finds 
oneself  a  little  aged." 


MR.  NORRIS  VINE  77 

She  nodded. 

"  You  look  like  that,"  she  said.  "  You  look 
as  though  a  good  many  of  the  fires  had  burned  out, 
and  left  you  —  well,  something  of  a  machine. 
Is  it  worth  while  ?  " 

"  I  don't  know,"  he  answered  listlessly. 

'  You  ought  to  go  to  Europe  more  often,"  she 
said  softly.  "  I  do  not  understand  how  men 
can  make  the  slaves  of  themselves  that  you  do 
here.  Don't  you  long  sometimes  to  feel  your 
feet  off  the  treadmill  ?  " 

"  Perhaps,"  he  answered;  "  but  the  life  here 
becomes  like  one  of  those  pernicious  habits  of 
cigarette  smoking,  or  morphia  taking.  It  grips 
hold  of  you  —  grips  hold  very  tight,"  he  added 
in  a  lower  tone. 

"  I  wonder,"  she  said,  "whether  there  is  any- 
thing in  the  world  which  would  tempt  you  to 
break  away  from  it." 

He  struck  the  desk  at  which  he  was  sitting, 
suddenly,  with  his  clenched  fist.  His  face  was  still 
colourless,  but  his  black  eyes  held  a  touch  of 
fire. 

"  Don't!  "  he  said.  "  I  am  not  such  a  slave, 
after  all,  as  to  love  my  chains;  but  don't  you 
understand  that  one  gets  into  this  morass,  and 
one  can  keep  a  foothold  only  by  struggling." 

"  Is  that  how  it  is  wjth  you,  Norris  ?  "  she 
asked. 

"  Yes!  "  he  answered,  with  a  sudden  fierceness. 


78  THE  GOVERNORS 

"  Six  months  ago  I  think  that  I  might  have  freed 
myself.  I  shouldn't  have  been  a  rich  man,  but 
over  there  in  Europe,  where  people  have  learned 
how  to  live,  wealth  isn't  in  the  least  necessary.  I 
had  enough  for  Italy,  for  a  season  in  Paris,  for  a 
little  sport  in  Hungary,  even  for  a  month  or  two 
at  Melton.  I  hesitated,  and  while  I  hesitated 
the  thing  closed  in  upon  me  again.  Then  your 
father  and  I  came  up  against  one  another  once 
more,  and  I  began  it  all  over  again." 

"  Am  I  right,"  she  asked  softly,  "  in  imagining 
that  just  now  things  are  going  a  little  wrong  ?  " 

"  I  am  fighting  for  my  life,"  he  said  tersely. 
*  Wherever  I  have  turned  during  the  last  few 
months  I  seem  to  have  encountered  the  opposition 
of  your  father's  millions.  Our  sales  are  going 
down  day  by  day.  The  great  advertisers  are 
practically  ignoring  us.  We  are  losing  money 
fast.  That  is  what  happens  to  any  one  who  dares 
to  raise  a  finger  against  the  accursed  idols  of  this 
country.  Three  of  the  greatest  advertisement 
contractors  have  given  us  notice  that  they  have 
struck  off  our  paper  from  their  list.  It  is  your 
father's  doings,  Stella.  I  had  hoped  something 
from  this  illness  of  his,  but  the  thing  goes  on. 
Do  you  know  whether  he  is  really  laid  up,  or 
whether  this  is  part  of  a  scheme  ?  " 

"  I  am  not  sure,"  $he  answered.  "  I  have 
been  told  to-day  that  it  is  part  of  a  scheme." 

"  Who  told  you  ?  "  he  asked  quickly. 


MR.  NORRIS  VINE  79 

"  Peter  Littleson,"  she  answered.  "  I  have 
been  lunching  with  him." 

"Peter  Littleson!"  he  interrupted.  "But 
he  is  one  of  your  father's  allies!  He  and  Bards- 
ley  and  Weiss  and  your  father  are  what  they  call 
here  *  The  Invincibles! ' 

She  nodded. 

"  I  am  not  sure,"  she  answered,  "  but  I  fancy 
there  is  going  to  be  a  split." 

He  was  interested  now,  almost  eager. 

"  Tell  me  what  you  know!"  he  begged. 

"  I  know  this,"  she  answered;  "that  Littleson 
asked  me  to  lunch  to-day  to  find  out  whether 
my  father's  illness  was  genuine  or  not,  and  he 
gave  me  to  understand  that  they  suspected  him 
of  playing  them  false.  I  believe  that  as  usual 
my  father  has  the  best  of  it.  Peter  Littleson  ad- 
mitted to  me  that  just  now,  at  any  rate,  he  held 
them  all  in  the  hollow  of  his  hand." 

Norris  Vine  looked  out  of  the  window  for  a 
moment.  His  face  was  haggard. 

"  I  have  begun,"  he  said  slowly,  "  to  lose  faith 
in  myself,  and  when  one  does  that  here  the  end  is 
not  far  off".  I  believe  that  Littleson  is  right, 
Stella.  I  believe  that  your  father,  if  it  pleased 
him,  could  take  them  one  by  one  and  break  them, 
as  he  is  doing  me." 

"  Supposing,  on  the  other  hand,"  she  said, 
"  something  were  to  happen  so  that  they  were  in 
a  position  to  break  him  ?  " 


80  THE  GOVERNORS 

'  Then,"  he  answered  coolly,  "  it  would  be  the 
very  best  thing  that  could  happen  for  the  country 
and  for  me.  There's  no  morality  about  specu- 
lation, of  course,  and  the  finance  of  this  country 
is  one  of  the  most  ghastly  things  in  the  world. 
All  the  same,  there  are  degrees  of  rascality,  and 
there  is  no  one  who  has  sinned  against  every  law 
of  decency  and  respect  for  his  fellows  like  Phineas 
Duge.  What  are  you  doing  to-night,  Stella  ? 
Will  you  dine  with  me  ?  " 

She  shook  her  head. 

"  Not  to-night,  Norris,"  she  said.  "  I  have 
something  else  to  do;  but  before  I  go  I  want  you 
to  answer  me  a  question.  Once  before,  when 
my  father  had  you  in  a  corner,  I  helped  you  out, 
and  you  know  the  price  I  paid." 

He  leaned  toward  her,  but  she  waved  him 
away. 

"  No!  "  she  said,  "  I  am  not  reminding  you  of 
that  because  I  want  anything  from  you,  but  listen. 
Supposing  I  could  help  you  out  again  ?  Sup- 
posing I  could  give  you  something  for  your  paper 
which  would  produce  the  greatest  sensation 
which  New  York  has  ever  known  ?  Would  you 
promise  to  realize  at  any  loss,  and  give  it  up  ? 
Leave  America  altogether  and  go  to  Europe  ?  " 

'Yes!"  he  said,  "I  think  I  would  promise 
that." 

She  rose  to  her  feet.  He  approached  her  a 
little  hesitatingly,  but  she  waved  him  back. 


MR.  NORRIS  VINE  81 

"  No,  don't  kiss  me,  Norris,"  she  said. 

He  protested,  but  she  still  drew  herself  away. 

"  My  dear  Norris,"  she  said,  "  please  do  not 
think  because  I  show  some  interest  in  your  affairs, 
that  you  are  forced  to  offer  me  this  sort  of  pay- 
ment. There,  don't  say  anything,  because  I 
don't  want  to  be  angry  with  you.  If  you  knew 
more  about  women,  you  would  know  that  there 
is  nothing  one  resents  so  much  in  the  world  as 
affection  that  is  offered  in  the  way  that  you  were 
offering  me  your  kiss  just  then.  Please  come 
and  put  me  in  the  elevator.  I  am  going  now. 
You  will  hear  from  me  in  a  day  or  two.  I  shall 
write  and  ask  myself  to  dinner." 

He  took  her  outside  and  rang  the  bell  for  the 
elevator.  They  stood  for  a  moment  in  front  of 
the  steel  gate. 

"  I  am  afraid,"  he  said  quietly,  "  that  in  your 
heart  you  must  think  me  an  ungrateful  beast." 

'  Yes!  "  she  answered,  "  I  suppose  I  do!  But 
then  all  men  are  ungrateful,  and  there  are  worse 
things  even  than  ingratitude." 

The  lift  shot  up  and  the  door  was  swung  back. 
There  was  no  time  for  any  further  adieux. 
Norris  Vine  walked  slowly  back  into  his  office, 
with  his  hands  clasped  behind  his  back. 


CHAPTER  XI 

MR.    LITTLESON,    FLATTERER 

more  a  little  luncheon  was  in  progress 
at  the  corner  table  in  the  millionaires'  club. 
This  time  Littleson  also  was  of  the  party.  He 
had  been  describing  his  luncheon  of  the  day 
before  to  his  friends. 

"  I  am  dead  sure  of  one  thing,"  he  declared. 
"  She  is  on  our  side,  and  I  honestly  believe  that 
she  means  getting  that  paper." 

"  But  she  hasn't  even  the  entree  to  the  house 
now,"  Weiss  objected. 

"  There  are  plenty  of  the  servants  there,"  Little- 
son  answered,  "  whom  she  must  know  very  well, 
and  through  whom  she  could  get  in,  especially  if 
Phineas  is  really  up  in  his  room.  I  tell  you 
fellows,  I  truly  believe  we'll  have  that  wretched 
document  in  our  hands  by  this  time  to-morrow." 

'  The  day  I  see  it  in  ashes,"  Bardsley  muttered, 
"I'll  stand  you  fellows  a  magnum  of  Pommery 
'92." 

"  I  wonder,"  Weiss  remarked,  "  what  sort  of 
terms  she  is  on  with  her  cousin,  the  little  girl  with 
the  big  eyes." 

"  I  wish  to  Heaven  one  of  you  could  make 
friends  with  that  child!"  Bardsley  exclaimed. 


MR.  LITTLESON,  FLATTERER      83 

"I'd  give  a  tidy  lot  to  know  whether  Phineas  Duge 
lies  there  on  his  bed,  or  whether  his  hand  is  on 
the  telephone  half  the  time.  You  are  sure, 
Littleson,  that  Dick  Losting  is  in  Europe  ?  " 

"  Absolutely  certain,"  Littleson  answered.  "  I 
had  a  letter  from  him  dated  Paris  only  yesterday." 

*  Then  who  in  God's  name  is  shaking  the 
Chicago  markets  like  this!  "  Bardsley  declared, 
striking  the  newspaper  which  lay  by  his  side  with 
the  palm  of  his  hand.  "  You  notice,  too,  the 
stocks  which  are  being  hit  are  all  ours,  every  one 
of  them.  Damn!  If  Phineas  should  be  sitting 
up  there  in  his  room  with  that  hideous  little  smile 
upon  his  lips,  talking  and  talking  across  the  wires 
hour  after  hour,  while  we  hang  round  like  idiots 
and  play  his  game!  It's  maddening  to  think  of." 

"Oh,  rot!"  Littleson  declared.  "You  can 
imagine  everything  if  you  try.  There  are  the 
doctor's  bulletins!  We've  had  a  dozen  detectives 
all  round  the  place,  and  there  is  not  a  single 
murmur  of  his  having  been  seen  by  any  one,  or 
known  to  have  even  dictated  a  letter." 

"  I've  never  known  him  sick  for  a  day  in  my 
life,"  Bardsley  said  thickly. 

"  It  must  come  some  time,"  Littleson  answered. 
"  It's  always  these  men  who've  never  been  ill  at 
all,  who  come  down  suddenly.  I'm  not  going 
to  worry  myself  about  nothing.  Our  only  mis- 
take was  in  the  way  that  child  was  handled.  I 
think  Weiss  frightened  her." 


84  THE  GOVERNORS 

Weiss  shrugged  his  shoulders. 

"Perhaps  I  did,"  "he  said.  "You  see  I'm 
not  a  fashionable  young  spark  like  you.  Why 
the  devil  don't  you  go  and  call  on  her  ?  It's  only 
a  civil  thing  to  do.  You  are  supposed  to  be  one 
of  her  uncle's  greatest  friends,  and  he's  supposed 
to  be  dangerously  ill.  Go  and  call  on  her  this 
afternoon.  Put  on  your  best  clothes  and  your 
Paris  manners.  You  ought  to  be  able  to  get 
something  out  of  a  child  from  the  backwoods. 
If  you  talk  to  her  cleverly  you  can  at  least  find 
out  whether  Phineas  is  playing  the  game  or  not." 

Littleson  nodded. 

"  I'll  call  directly  after  lunch,"  he  said.  "  Per- 
haps I  could  get  her  to  come  out  for  a  ride.  I'll 
try,  anyhow,  and  ring  you  fellows  up  afterwards 
at  the  club." 

"  Don't  bother  er  any  more  about  the  paper," 
Weiss  said.  "  She'll  get  suspicious  at  once  if 
you  do.  Try  and  make  friends  with  her.  This 
thing  may  drag  on  for  a  week  or  so." 

Littleson  nodded  and  left  them  soon  afterwards. 
He  went  to  his  rooms,  changed  into  calling 
attire,  and  before  four  o'clock  his  automobile  was 
outside  the  mansion  in  Fifth  Avenue,  and  he 
himself  waiting  in  the  drawing-room  for  Virginia. 
She  came  to  him  with  very  little  delay,  and  wel- 
comed him  quite  naturally. 

"  I  am  afraid,"  he  said,  "  that  you  must  look 
upon  callers  as  rather  a  nuisance  just  now,  but 


MR.  LITTLESON;  FLATTERER    85 

we  are  all  very  anxious  about  your  uncle,  and  I 
thought  I  would  like  to  hear  something  more  than 
that  little  bulletin  outside  tells  us/* 

She  motioned  him  to  sit  down. 
'  You  are  very  kind,"  she  said.     "  My  uncle 
is  really  about  the  same.     The  doctor  thinks  he 
may  be  able  to  get  up  in  about  a  week." 

"  Is  there  any  —  specific  disease  ?  "  he  asked, 
hesitatingly. 

"  I  think  not,"  she  answered.  "  I  don't  under- 
stand all  that  the  doctor  says.  It  seems  to  me 
that  all  you  men  here  lead  such  strenuous  lives 
that  you  have  no  time  to  be  ill.  You  simply  wait 
until  you  collapse." 

"  I'm  afraid  that's  true,  Miss  Longworth,"  he 
said,  "  and  if  you  will  forgive  my  saying  so,  I 
fancy  you  have  been  doing  a  little  too  much  your- 
self, worrying  and  looking  after  your  uncle. 
Can't  I  tempt  you  out  for  a  little  way  in  my  auto- 
mobile ?  It's  a  delightful  afternoon." 

She  shook  her  head. 

'  You  are  very  kind,"  she  said,  "  but  I  seem  to 
be  the  only  person  for  whom  my  uncle  asks  some- 
times, and  he  is  awake  just  now.  I  should  not 
like  to  be  away." 

"  He  is  conscious,  then  ?  "  Littleson  asked. 

"  Perfectly,"  she  answered. 

"  I  suppose  it  is  quite  useless  asking  to  see 
him?" 

"  Quite .     The   doctor  would  never  allow  it. 


86  THE  GOVERNORS 

He  has  to  be  kept  absolutely  quiet,  and  free  from 
excitement." 

"  I  hope,"  he  said,  "  that  he  did  not  hear  any- 
thing of  the  attempted  burglary  the  other  night  ?" 

Virginia  smiled  very  faintly,  and  her  dark  eyes 
rested  for  a  moment  upon  his. 

"  No!"  she  answered,  "  we  kept  that  from  him. 
You  see  nothing  was  really  stolen.  As  a  matter 
of  fact  there  was  so  little  in  that  room  which 
could  have  been  of  any  value  to  any  one." 

"  Exactly!  "  he  answered,  feeling  a  little  un- 
comfortable. 

"  There  are  so  many  lovely  things  all  over  the 
house,"  she  continued,  "  that  it  has  puzzled  me 
very  much  why  they  should  have  chosen  to  try 
only  to  break  open  that  desk  in  the  library.  It 
seems  queer,  doesn't  it  ?  " 

"  Perhaps  it  does,"  he  admitted.  "  On  the 
other  hand,  they  might  have  thought  that  your 
uncle  had  bonds  and  papers  worth  a  great  deal 
more  than  any  of  the  ordinary  treasures  they 
could  collect." 

"  Well,"  she  said,  "  they  got  nothing  at  all. 
Somehow,  I  don't  fancy,"  she  added,  "  that  my 
uncle  is  the  sort  of  man  to  keep  valuable  things 
where  they  could  possibly  be  stolen." 

He  determined  to  be  a  little  daring.  He  raised 
his  eyebrows,  and  looked  at  her  with  a  smile 
which  was  meant  to  be  humorous. 

"  Fortunate    for    him    that    he    doesn't,"    he 


MR.  LITTLESON,  FLATTERER     87 

answered,  "  for,  frankly,  if  I  knew  where  to  find 
it,  I  should  certainly  steal  that  document  that 
Mr.  Weiss  came  and  worried  you  about.  We 
ought  to  have  it.  If  it  got  into  any  one's  hands 
except  your  uncle's,  it  would  be  the  most  serious 
thing  that  ever  happened  to  any  of  us." 

"  I  don't  think,"  she  said  reassuringly,  "  that 
you  need  worry.  My  uncle  does  not  part  easily 
with  things  which  he  believes  have  value." 

He  laughed,  not  quite  naturally. 

"  I  see,"  he  said,  "  that  you  are  beginning  to 
appreciate  your  uncle." 

"  One  learns  all  manner  of  things,"  she  an- 
swered, "  very  quickly  here." 

He  looked  at  her  with  more  attention  than  he 
had  as  yet  bestowed  upon  her.  She  was  very 
slim,  but  wonderfully  elegant,  and  her  clothes, 
though  simple,  were  absolutely  perfect.  Her 
eyes  certainly  were  marvellous.  Her  complexion 
had  not  altogether  lost  the  duskiness  which  came 
from  her  outdoor  life.  Her  hair  was  parted  in 
the  middle,  after  a  fashion  of  her  own,  and  coming 
rather  low  on  the  back  of  her  head,  gave  her  the 
appearance  of  being  younger  even  than  she  was. 
Stella's  beauty  was  perhaps  the  most  pronounced, 
but  this  girl,  he  felt,  was  unique.  He  looked 
thoughtfully  into  her  eyes.  Her  whole  expres- 
sion and  manner  were  so  delightfully  simple  and 
girlish,  that  he  found  it  almost  impossible  to 
believe  that  she  was  playing  a  part. 


88  THE  GOVERNORS 

They  talked  for  a  little  while  upon  purely  general 
subjects,  the  Opera,  her  new  friends,  the  whole 
social  life  of  the  city,  of  which  he  was  a  somewhat 
prominent  part.  She  talked  easily  and  natur- 
ally, and  he  flattered  himself  that  he  was  making 
a  good  impression.  When  at  last  he  rose  to  take 
his  leave,  he  made  one  more  venture. 

"  I  don't  know,"  he  said,  "  whether  you  get 
bothered  by  your  uncle's  business  affairs  at  all 
while  he  is  laid  up,  but  I  hope  you  will  remember 
that  if  I  can  be  of  any  service,  I  am  practically 
one  of  his  partners,  and  I  understand  all  his 
affairs.  You  must  please  send  for  me  if  I  can 
be  of  the  slightest  use  to  you." 

She  had  apparently  listened  to  him  for  the  first 
part  of  his  sentence  with  her  usual  air  of  polite 
interest.  Suddenly,  however,  she  started,  and 
her  attention  wandered.  She  crossed  quickly 
toward  the  bell  and  rang  it. 

"  Thank  you  so  much,  Mr.  Littleson,"  she 
said.  "  I  won't  forget  what  you  have  said.  Do 
you  mind  excusing  me  ?  I  fancy  that  I  am 
wanted." 

She  left  the  room  as  the  servant  whom  she  had 
summoned  arrived  to  show  her  visitor  out.  Was 
it  her  fancy,  or  had  she  indeed  heard  the  soft 
ringing  of  the  burglar  alarm  which  she  had  had 
attached  to  the  library  door  on  the  other  side  of 
the  hall! 


CHAPTER  XII 

STELLA   SUCCEEDS 

"\^IRGINIA  crossed  the  hall  with  rapid  foot- 
steps, and  entered  the  library.  She  real- 
ized at  once  that  she  had  not  been  deceived,  but 
she  started  back  in  surprise  when  she  discovered 
who  it  was  standing  before  the  roll-top  desk  and 
regarding  it  contemplatively.  Stella  looked  up, 
and  the  eyes  of  the  two  girls  met.  Stella  nodded, 
apparently  quite  at  her  ease. 

"  How  are  you,  cousin  Virginia  ?  "  she  said. 
*  You  see  I  have  come  back  home  to  play  the  part 
of  the  repentant  daughter." 

Virginia  was  a  little  distressed.  She  closed  the 
door  behind  her  and  came  further  into  the  room. 

"  Stella,"  she  said,  "  I  am  very  sorry,  but  while 
your  father  is  ill  he  does  not  like  any  one  to  come 
into  this  room." 

Stella  seated  herself  in  his  chair. 

"  Quite  right,"  she  said.  "  I  hope  you  will  be 
careful  to  keep  them  out.  He  always  has  such 
a  lot  of  secrets,  and  I  know  that  he  hates  to  have 
people  prying  round." 

Virginia  felt  that  she  had  never  received  a  more 
embarrassing  visitor. 


90  THE  GOVERNORS 

"  Would  you  mind,  Stella,"  she  said,  "  coming 
into  the  drawing-room  with  me  ?  This  room  is 
supposed  to  be  locked  up.  You  knew  the  catch 
in  the  door,  of  course,  or  you  could  not  have  come 
in." 

'  Yes !  I  know  the  catch,"  Stella  answered, 
"  and,  my  dear  child,  you  must  forgive  my  saying 
so,  but  I  have  lived  here  for  some  years,  and  it  is 
still  home  to  me.  You,  on  the  other  hand,  have 
been  here  a  few  weeks.  I  know  you  don't  mean 
anything  unkind,  but  just  because  I  have  quar- 
relled a  little  with  my  father,  you  must  not  tell  m^ 
which  rooms  I  may  enter,  and  which  I  may  not. 
I  am  going  to  stay  here  for  half  an  hour,  and  write 
some  letters." 

"  You  can  write  them  in  any  other  room  in  the 
house,"  Virginia  declared,  "  but  not  here.  It  is 
impossible." 

Stella  smiled  and  shrugged  her  shoulders  as  she 
sat  down. 

"  I  am  sorry,"  she  said,  "  but  this  is  where  I 
mean  to  write  them.  You  must  remember  that 
this  house  belongs  to  my  father.  You  are  here 
temporarily  in  my  place.  I  have  not  bothered 
you  very  much,  and  it  is  a  very  simple  thing  that 
I  ask.  I  want  to  make  use  of  this  room,  to  write 
a  few  letters  here.  After  that  I  shall  go  away." 

The  troubled  frown  on  Virginia's  face  grew 
deeper. 

"  My  dear  Stella,"  she  said,  "  although  nothing 


STELLA  SUCCEEDS  91 

would  please  me  better  than  to  see  your  father 
and  you  friends  again,  you  must  know  that  he 
allows  no  one  to  enter  these  rooms  when  his 
secretary  is  away.  In  fact,  as  you  know,  the 
door  was  closed,  and  if  you  had  not  known  the 
secret  of  the  catch,  you  could  not  have  entered." 
'  Well,"  Stella  repeated  carelessly,  "  since  I 
am  here,  I  am  here.  Please  unlock  this  desk 
and  give  me  some  writing  paper." 

"  I    cannot    unlock    it,"    Virginia    answered. 
'  You  must  know  that." 

"  But  you  have  the  keys,"  Stella  interposed. 

"  If  I  have,"  Virginia  declared,  "  it  is  because 
your  father  trusted  me  with  them." 

"  Perhaps,"  Stella  said,  leaning  a  little  forward 
in  her  chair,  "  you  have  also  the  keys  of  that 
wonderful  little  hiding  place  of  his  that  he  showed 
me  one  day." 

"  Perhaps  I  have,"  Virginia  answered,  "  but 
if  so,  no  other  person  in  the  world  will  ever  know 
about  it." 

'  You  won't  even  open  the  desk  for  me,  then  ?" 
Stella  said. 

"  Certainly  not,"  Virginia  answered.  "  Your 
father's  orders  to  me  were  quite  explicit." 

'  You  do  not  suppose,"  Stella  asked,  "  that  he 
meant  to  exclude  his  own  daughter  ?" 

"  How  can  I  tell  ?  "  Virginia  answered.  "  I 
know  nothing  of  the  trouble  there  was  between 
you  two,"  she  added  more  softly.  "  It  is  not  my 


92  THE  GOVERNORS 

affair,  although  nothing  would  please  me  more 
than  to  see  you  friends  again.  If  you  will  come 
into  the  drawing-room  and  wait,  I  will  go  up- 
stairs and  try  and  persuade  him  to  see  you." 

Stella  shook  her  head. 

"  It  would  be  of  no  use,"  she  said.  "  He  is 
frightfully  obstinate,  and  I  shall  never  have  a 
chance  of  making  my  peace  with  him  again  unless 
I  can  come  upon  him  unexpectedly." 

'  Well,"  Virginia  said,  "  he  is  not  likely  to  be 
downstairs  to-day,  and,  Stella,  don't  be  angry 
with  me,  but  I  must  really  ask  you  to  leave  this 
room." 

'  Thank  you,"  Stella  answered  coldly.  "  I  am 
at  home  here,  and  I  mean  to  stay  so  long  as  I 
choose.  It  is  you  who  are  the  intruder.  If  you 
have  any  sense  at  all,  you  will  go  away  and  play 
with  your  dolls.  You  can't  have  left  them  very 
long,  and  I'm  sure  it  is  a  more  fitting  amusement 
for  you  than  ordering  me  about  my  father's 
house." 

Virginia  moved  up  and  down  the  room.  The 
tears  were  already  in  her  eyes;  she  was  utterly 
and  completely  perplexed. 

"  Stella,"  she  said,  "  you  know  what  sort  of  a 
man  your  father  is.  If  he  learns  that  you  have 
been  here  in  this  room,  he  will  never  forgive  me. 
He  will  send  me  home,  and  that  would  be  hateful, 
for  many,  many  reasons.  Do  please  be  reason- 
able, and  come  away  with  me  now  into  one  of  the 


STELLA  SUCCEEDS  93 

other  rooms.     I  will  do  all  that  I  can  to  bring 
you  two  together." 

Stella  seemed  to  have  made  up  her  mind  to 
quarrel  with  her  cousin.  Her  face  was  white  and 
hard.  She  laughed  a  little  scornfully  before  she 
answered. 

"  You  bring  us  together!"  she  exclaimed.  "  Do 
you  think  that  I  don't  understand  you  better  than 
that  ?  I  know  very  well  that  you  are  much  too 
pleased  with  your  position  here,  and  you  are 
afraid  that  if  my  father  forgave  me  and  I  came 
back,  you  would  have  to  go  home  again.  Don't 
think  that  I  don't  understand." 

Virginia  walked  to  the  window,  and  stood  there 
several  moments  looking  out  upon  the  avenue. 
Her  eyes  were  quite  dry  now,  and  a  spot  of  colour 
was  burning  in  her  cheeks.  The  injustice  of  her 
cousin's  words  had  checked  the  tears,  but  they 
had  also  achieved  their  purpose.  She  turned 
slowly  round. 

"Very  well,  Stella,"  she  said,  "I  will  not 
interfere  with  you  any  more,  but  I  am  going  to 
do  exactly  what  is  my  duty.  Will  you  leave  this 
room  or  not  ?  " 

*  When  I  am  ready,"  Stella  answered,  "  not 
before!" 

Virginia  crossed  the  room,  meaning  to  ring  the 
bell.  Stella,  springing  quickly  from  her  seat, 
caught  her  cousin  up,  and  seizing  her  by  the 
shoulders,  turned  her  round.  Then  she  calmly 


$4  THE  GOVERNORS 

locked  the  door  of  the  room  in  which  they  were, 
on  the  inside. 

About  an  hour  afterwards,  the  elder  of  Phineas 
Duge's  secretaries,  Robert  Smedley,  entered  the 
bedroom  at  the  top  of  the  house  with  some  pre- 
cipitation, and  turned  a  white  face  towards  his 
master.  Phineas  Duge,  fully  dressed,  was  enter- 
ing some  figures  in  a  small  memorandum  book 
on  the  table  before  him. 

"  Mr.  Duge,"  the  young  man  exclaimed, 
"  forgive  me  for  disturbing  you,  but  I  think  that 
if  you  feel  strong  enough  you  ought  to  come 
downstairs  into  the  library  at  once." 

Phineas  Duge  did  not  hesitate.  There  was  a 
light  in  his  eyes  which  transformed  his  face.  He 
knew  as  though  by  inspiration  something  of  what 
had  happened.  He  took  the  back  stairs,  and 
descending  at  a  pace  quite  extraordinary  for  a 
sick  man,  he  was  inside  the  library  in  less  than  a 
minute.  It  was  easy  to  see  that  Smedley's  alarm 
had  not  been  altogether  ill-founded.  A  chair 
was  overturned;  Virginia  was  lying  face  down- 
wards upon  the  floor  in  front  of  the  desk.  Phineas 
Duge  dropped  his  cigarette,  and  fell  on  his  knees 
by  her  side.  Then  he  saw  that  her  hands  and 
feet  were  tied  with  an  antimacassar  torn  into 
strips,  and  a  rude  sort  of  gag  was  in  her  mouth. 
She  opened  her  eyes  at  his  touch,  and  moaned 
slightly.  In  a  moment  or  two  he  had  released 


PHINEAS  DUGE  DROPPED  HIS  CIGARETTE,  AND  FELL  ox  HIS 
KNEES  BY  HER  SIDE.     Page  94 


STELLA  SUCCEEDS  95 

her  from  her  bonds,  and  removed  the  handker- 
chief which  had  been  tied  into  her  mouth. 

"  Fetch  some  brandy,"  he  told  the  young  man, 
"  and  keep  your  mouth  shut  about  this.  You 
understand  ?  " 

"  Sure,  sir!  " 

The  young  man  hurried  away.  Duge  was 
still  stooping  down,  with  his  arm  around  Virginia's 
waist.  Gradually  she  began  to  recover  herself. 
She  looked  all  round  the  room,  as  though  in 
search  of  some  one.  Her  uncle  asked  her  no 
questions.  He  saw  that  she  was  rapidly  regaining 
consciousness,  and  he  waited.  Smedley  returned 
with  the  brandy.  Together  they  forced  a  little 
between  her  lips,  and  watched  the  colour  coming 
back  into  her  cheeks.  Then  Phineas  Duge  with- 
drew his  arm  and  walked  to  the  other  side  of  the 
desk.  On  the  floor  were  the  broken  fragments  of 
Virginia's  locket.  The  carpet  had  been  torn  up. 
The  steel  coffer,  with  the  keys  still  in  it,  was  there 
half  open.  He  slid  back  the  lid,  and  taking  out 
a  few  of  the  topmost  papers,  ran  them  through 
his  fingers.  There  was  no  doubt  about  it.  The 
document  was  missing.  He  returned  to  the  chair 
to  which  he  had  carried  Virginia. 

"  Are  you  well  enough  now,"  he  asked,  "  to 
tell  me  about  this  ?  " 

She  raised  herself  in  her  chair,  and  looked  with 
fascinated  eyes  toward  that  spot  in  the  carpet. 

"  Has  anything  gone  ?  "  she  asked. 


96  THE  GOVERNORS 

'  Yes !  "  her  uncle  answered  shortly.  "  I 
want  to  know  how  it  was  that  any  one  got  into 
this  room,  and  who  it  was.  Quickly,  please!  " 

"  I  was  in  the  drawing-room  talking  to  Mr. 
Littleson,"  Virginia  said,  "  when  I  heard  the 
small  alarm  bell  that  I  had  had  fitted  on  to  the 
library  door  ring.  I  came  in  and  found  Stella 
here.  She  locked  me  in.  She  is  very  strong. 
I  had  no  idea  that  she  was  so  strong,"  Virginia 
murmured,  half  closing  her  eyes  and  fainting 
away. 

He  hurried  to  her  side,  and  forced  some  more 
brandy  between  her  lips.  Then  he  laid  her  flat 
on  the  floor,  and  began  to  walk  up  and  down. 

"  So  this  is  Stella's  work,"  he  muttered  to  him- 
self. '  That  accounts  for  the  message  I  had 
yesterday,  that  she  was  seen  driving  with  Little- 
son.  What  she  did  for  that  blackguard  Vine,  she 
has  done  for  them!" 

His  face,  no  longer  an  amiable  one,  grew 
sterner  as  he  walked  backwards  and  forwards, 
his  hands  behind  him,  his  eyes  fixed  upon  the 
carpet.  He  had  staked  a  good  deal  on  his  pos- 
session of  this  hold  upon  the  men  who  had  been 
his  associates.  The  whole  situation  had  to  be 
readjusted  in  the  altered  light  of  events.  The 
first  impulse  of  the  man,  to  act,  seemed  strangled 
almost  at  its  birth  by  the  absolute  futility  of  any 
move  he  could  possibly  make.  He  had  no  idea 
where  to  find  his  daughter,  with  whom  she  was 


97 

living,  or  how.  Any  publicity  of  any  sort  was 
of  course  out  of  the  question.  No  wonder  that 
his  frown  grew  heavier  as  he  realized  more  com- 
pletely the  helplessness  of  his  position.  He  was 
a  man  unaccustomed  to  failure,  whose  career 
through  life  had  been  one  smooth  road  of  success 
and  triumph.  His  touch  seemed  to  have  trans- 
formed the  very  dust  heaps  into  gold,  and  the 
barren  wastes  into  prosperous  cities.  The  shadow 
of  failure  had  never  fallen  across  his  path.  Now 
that  it  had  come  he  was  bewildered.  An  ordinary 
reverse  he  could  have  met  resolutely  enough. 
This  was  something  stupendous,  something 
against  which  the  ordinary  weapons  of  his  will 
were  altogether  powerless.  Try  as  he  might,  he 
could  not  see  his  way  ahead.  He  was  too  deeply 
involved  for  any  one  to  gauge  the  position  accu- 
rately. A  knock  at  the  door.  Phineas  Duge 
looked  up,  and  paused  for  a  moment  in  his  rest- 
less walk.  He  opened  it  cautiously  and  let  in 
young  Smedley,  a  tall,  broad-shouldered  young 
man. 

"  Come  in,  Smedley,"  he  said  shortly.  "  I 
have  been  wanting  you." 

The  young  man  looked  straight  across  at  Vir- 
ginia, still  stretched  upon  the  floor,  and  he  took 
a  quick  step  in  her  direction. 

'*  What  did  you  find  was  the  matter  with  Miss 
Longworth,  sir  ?  "  he  asked.  "  Is  she  ill  ?  " 

Duge  glanced  carelessly  towards  his  niece. 


98  THE  GOVERNORS 

"  She's  only  a  little  faint,"  he  said.  "  There's 
matter  enough  here  without  that." 

"  What  is  it,  sir  ?  "  the  young  man  demanded. 

Phineas  Duge  looked  at  him  for  a  moment  in 
silence,  while  he  decided  how  much  to  tell. 

'  You  remember  my  daughter  Stella  ?  "  he 
asked  abruptly. 

The  young  man  looked  serious. 

"  I  remember  Miss  Duge  quite  well,"  he 
answered. 

"  She  has  been  here  this  afternoon.  This  is 
her  work,"  Duge  said  grimly.  "  We  had  some 
trouble  before,  you  know,  about  that  Canadian 
Pacific  report.  It  was  after  that,  that  I  was 
obliged  to  send  her  away  altogether." 

The  young  man  looked  swiftly  around  the 
room. 

"  Has  she  taken  anything  ?  "  he  began 

"  Nothing  of  importance,"  Phineas  Duge 
answered  calmly,  "  but  that  doesn't  alter  the  fact 
that  she  might  have  done  so!  " 


CHAPTER  XIII 

BEARDING   THE    LION 

T^ARLY  the  next  morning,  Littleson's  auto- 
•*-'  mobile  dashed  up  to  the  door  of  Weiss' 
office.  Without  even  waiting  to  be  announced, 
its  owner  pushed  his  way  through  the  clerk's 
office  and  entered  the  private  room  of  his  friend. 

"  Heard  the  news  ?  "  he  demanded  quickly. 

"  No !     What  is  it  ?  "  Weiss  asked. 

"  Phineas  Duge  is  in  the  city.  He  was  going 
into  Harrigold's  as  I  came  out.  I  tried  to  speak 
to  him,  but  he  cut  me  dead.  They  say  that  he 
has  sent  for  all  his  brokers,  and  is  coming  on  this 
market  heavily!  " 

"  Then  his  illness  was  a  fake  after  all,"  Weiss 
declared.  "  We  can't  stand  this,  though.  I'll 
get  on  to  his  office.  We  must  speak  to  him." 

He  gave  some  rapid  instructions  to  a  clerk 
whom  he  had  summoned,  then  took  a  printed 
sheet  of  prices  from  a  machine  which  ticked  at 
his  elbow. 

"  If  it's  war,"  he  muttered,  "  we  shall  have  to 
fight  hard,  but  what  I  don't  understand  is  why 
he  wants  to  break  with  us." 
f  The  clerk  re-entered  the  room. 


ioo  THE  GOVERNORS 

"  There  is  a  young  lady  here,"  he  said,  "  who 
wishes  to  speak  to  you,  sir." 

"  Name  ?  "  Weiss  demanded  curtly. 

"  Miss  Virginia  Longworth,"  he  answered. 

Weiss  and  Littleson  exchanged  quick  glances. 

"  Show  her  in  at  once,"  Weiss  ordered.  "  What 
do  you  suppose  this  means  ?  "  he  asked,  turning 
to  Littleson. 

The  young  man  had  no  time  to  reply.  Almost 
immediately  Virginia  was  ushered  into  the  office. 
She  was  very  pale,  and  there  were  dark  lines  under 
her  eyes.  Stephen  Weiss  rose  at  once,  and  Little- 
son  hastened  to  offer  her  a  chair,  but  she  took  no 
notice.  They  could  see  that  she  was  agitated, 
and  she  seemed  to  find  some  difficulty  in  com- 
mencing what  she  had  to  say. 

'  What  can  I  have  the  pleasure  of  doing  for 
you,  Miss  Longworth  ?  "  Weiss  asked.  "  I  hope 
that  you  have  come  to  tell  me " 

"  I  have  come  to  tell  you  that  you  are  both 
thieves !  "  she  interrupted.  "  If  you  do  not  give 
me  back  that  paper,  I  don't  care  what  my  uncle 
says,  I  shall  go  to  the  police  station." 

The  men  exchanged  swift  glances.  Littleson 
suddenly  started.  He  drew  Weiss  on  one  side. 

"  Stella  has  got  it,"  he  whispered,  in  a  tone  of 
triumph.  "  Get  rid  of  this  girl  easily.  That  is 
what  she  must  mean." 

Weiss  turned  round  and  faced  her. 

"  My  dear  Miss  Longworth,"  he  said,  "  a  thief 


BEARDING  THE  LION  101 

I  would  have  been  if  I  could  have  found  the 
chance,  and  a  thief  I  would  have  made  of  you  if 
you  would  have  stolen  that  paper  for  me,  be- 
cause I  considered  that  it  belonged  to  us,  and  we 
had  a  moral  right  to  take  it.  But  the  fact  remains 
that  we  have  not  got  it.  When  I  heard  your 
name  announced  I  hoped  that  you  had  brought 
it  to  us." 

'  You  have  not  got  it!"  she  repeated  contempt- 
uously. 

"  Upon  my  honour  we  have  not !  "  Littleson 
declared. 

"  Perhaps,"  she  said,  turning  to  him,  "  you 
will  deny  that  it  was  you  who  incited  my  cousin 
Stella  to  come  and  rob  her  own  father  ?  " 

The  two  men  exchanged  swift  glances.  Little- 
son's  surmise  had  been  correct  then.  It  was 
Stella  who  had  succeeded  where  the  others  had 
failed! 

"  We  know  nothing  of  Miss  Duge,"  Littleson 
said,  "  nor  have  we  received  the  paper  nor  any 
news  of  it.  If  Miss  Stella  has  stolen  it,  she  has 
not  brought  it  to  us.  That  is  all  I  can  tell  you." 

Virginia  read  truth  in  their  faces.  She  turned 
away. 

"  Oh,  I  do  not  understand!  "  she  said.  "  Per- 
haps I  have  made  a  mistake.  I  will  go." 

She  hurried  outside  to  the  automobile  which 
was  waiting,  and  drove  to  the  address  which 
Stella  had  given  her.  It  was  a  kind  of  residential 


THE  GOVERNORS 

hotel,  and  a  boy  in  the  hall  took  her  up  in  the  lift 
to  the  floor  on  which  Stella's  rooms  were.  She 
knocked  at  the  door.  Stella  herself  opened  it. 
She  started  back  when  she  saw  who  her  visitor 
was. 

"  You!  "  she  exclaimed. 

Virginia  stepped  into  the  room. 
'Yes!"    she    answered.      'What    have    you 
done  with  the  paper  that  you  stole  from  the  safe  ?" 

Stella  closed  the  door  and  looked  at  her  cousin 
thoughtfully.  She  had  evidently  been  busy 
packing.  Dresses  and  hats  lay  about  on  the  bed, 
and  in  the  next  room  the  maid  was  busy  emptying 
the  cupboards.  Stella  closed  the  communicating 
door. 

'  Why  have  you  come  here  ? "  she  said  to 
Virginia.  '  You  don't  suppose  I  ran  risks  like 
that,  to  possess  myself  of  a  thing  which  I  meant 
to  give  up.  Oh!  you  need  not  look  as  though 
you  were  going  to  spring  at  me.  I  have  not  got 
it  here,  I  can  assure  you.  I  parted  with  it  hours 
ago!" 

"  To  whom  ?  "  Virginia  demanded. 

"  My  father  will  find  out  some  day,  perhaps," 
Stella  answered.  "  I  don't  see  that  it's  so  much 
his  affair.  The  men  who  have  to  pay  for  their 
folly  are  the  men  who  deserve  to  pay.  I  see  that 
my  father  was  too  cunning  to  write  his  name  down 
with  theirs." 

'  You    mean,"    Virginia    demanded,     "  that 


BEARDING  THE  LION  103 

you  have  not  given  it  to  Mr.  Littleson  and  his 
friends  ?  " 

"Not  I!"  Stella  laughed,—  "  although  they 
offered  me  one  hundred  thousand  dollars  for  it." 

Virginia  sat  down  on  the  bed.  She  had  not 
slept  all  night,  and  she  had  eaten  no  breakfast. 

"  Stella,"  she  said,  looking  at  her  cousin  with 
her  big  eyes  full  of  tears,  and  her  voice  becoming 
unsteady,  "  you  have  done  a  very,  very  cruel 
thing.  You  have  ruined  my  life.  Your  father 
had  done  so  much  for  my  people,  and  now  he  is 
going  to  stop  it  all  and  send  me  back  to  them. 
You  can't  imagine  what  it  means  to  be  thrown 
back  into  such  poverty.  It  isn't  for  myself  I 
mind;  it  is  for  their  sakes." 

"  I  don't  see,"  Stella  answered,  "  how  my 
father  can  blame  you." 

Virginia  shook  her  head  sadly. 

"  Your  father  is  one  of  those  men,"  she  said, 
"  who  judges  only  by  results.  He  trusted  me, 
and  whether  it  was  my  fault  or  my  misfortune, 
I  was  a  failure.  Stella,  does  it  mean  so  much  to 
you,  after  all,  that  you  should  keep  that  paper  ? 
Why  don't  you  bring  it  back  and  be  reconciled 
to  your  father  ?  I  should  be  quite  content  to  go 
away;  anything  so  long  as  he  gets  it  back.  Don't 
you  understand  that  after  he  has  been  so  kind, 
I  hate  the  feeling  that  I  have  been  so  abject  a 
failure  ?  " 

Stella  smiled  a  little  bitterly. 


104  THE  GOVERNORS 

"  It  is  my  turn,"  she  said,  "  to  tell  you  that  you 
do  not  understand  my  father.  He  would  never 
forgive  me,  nor  do  I  want  him  to.  If  you  think 
that  I  was  the  tool  of  these  men  Littleson  and 
Weiss,  you  make  a  mistake.  What  I  did,  I  did 
for  the  sake  of  the  only  man  I  have  ever  cared 
for.  Never  mind  his  name,  never  mind  who  he 
is.  But  if  it  makes  my  father  any  happier,  you 
can  tell  him  that  his  friends  are  no  nearer  safety 
now  than  they  were  when  the  paper  was  in  his 
keeping." 

Virginia  looked  around  the  room  drearily. 
'  You  are  going  away  ?  "  she  said. 

"  I  am  going  to  Europe,"  Stella  answered. 
"  I  hate  America.  I  hate  the  whole  atmosphere 
here.  It  is  a  vile,  unnatural  life.  I  am  going  to 
try  and  live  somewhere  where  people  are  simpler, 
and  where  life  is  not  made  up  of  gambling  and 
plotting  and  senseless  luxuries.  I  am  tired  to 
death  of  it  all!" 

'  You  are  going  to  be  married  ?  " 

Stella  turned  away  and  hid  her  face. 

"  No!  "  she  said,  "  I  do  not  think  so." 

There  was  a  short  silence.  Virginia  rose  to  her 
feet. 

"  Well,"  she  said,  "  I  think  you  have  been  a 
little  unkind  to  me,  Stella.  I  could  have  reached 
the  bell  and  stopped  you,  only  I  hated  to  seem 
rude  in  your  father's  house." 

"  I  am  sorry,"  Stella  said  simply.      '  You  see  I 


BEARDING  THE  LION  105 

am  like  all  those  other  poor  fools  who  care  for  a 
man.  I  put  him  first,  and  everybody  else  nowhere. 
Don't  be  afraid  that  I  shall  not  have  to  suffer  for 
it.  I  dare  say  if  you  know  me,  or  anything  about 
me,  in  five  years'  time,  you  will  feel  that  you  have 
had  your  revenge.  If  you  take  my  advice,  little 
girl,"  she  added,  speaking  more  kindly,  "  you 
will  go  back  to  your  farmhouse  and  take  up  your 
simpler  life  there.  I  do  not  fancy  that  you  were 
made  for  cities,  or  the  ways  of  cities.  I  lived  in 
the  country  once,  and  I  was  a  very  different  sort 
of  person.  Run  away  now.  I  can  do  nothing 
for  you,  so  it  is  no  use  staying,  but  if  ever  you 
need  help,  the  ordinary,  commonplace  sort  of 
help,  I  mean,  write  to  me  to  Baring's,  either  in 
London  or  Paris.  I'll  do  what  I  can." 

Virginia  went  out  again  into  the  street  and 
drove  back  home.  Mechanically  she  changed 
her  clothes  and  dressed  for  dinner.  At  eight 
o'clock  she  descended,  shivering.  Her  uncle 
was  already  in  his  place.  He  rose  as  she  entered, 
gravely,  and  took  his  place  again  as  she  sank  into 
hers.  His  face  was  like  a  mask.  He  said  noth- 
ing, and  the  few  remarks  which  he  made  during 
dinner-time  were  on  purely  ordinary  topics. 
There  was  only  a  minute  or  two,  after  the  dessert 
had  been  placed  upon  the  table  and  the  remaining 
man  servant  had  gone  out  with  a  message,  during 
which  they  were  alone.  Then  Virginia  sum- 
moned up  her  courage  to  speak  of  the  matter 


106  THE  GOVERNORS 

which   was   like   a  nightmare  in    her   thoughts. 

"  Uncle,"  she  said,  "  I  think  you  ought  to 
know  this.  I  went  to  Mr.  Weiss'  office.  He 
did  not  know  that  the  paper  was  not  still  in  your 
keeping.  I  went  to  Stella,  and  she  told  me  that 
she  had  not  taken  it  for  them.  She  told  me  that 
they  had  offered  her  one  hundred  thousand  dol- 
lars for  it,  but  she  never  had  any  idea  of  letting 
them  have  it." 

If  Phineas  Duge  was  surprised,  he  showed  no 
signs  of  it,  only  he  looked  steadily  into  his  niece's 
face  for  a  moment  or  two  before  he  replied. 

"  Stella,"  he  said  coldly,  "  has  taken  her  goods 
to  a  poor  market.  Norris  Vine  is  on  the  brink  of 
ruin.  If  I  turn  the  screw  to-morrow,  he  must 
come  down." 

He  sipped  his  wine  for  a  moment  thoughtfully. 
Then  a  grim,  hard  smile  parted  his  lips. 

"  No  wonder,"  he  said,  "  that  my  friends  are 
still  in  something  of  a  panic." 

Virginia  rose  in  her  place.  It  seemed  as 
though  her  appearance  was  woebegone  enough 
to  soften  the  heart  of  any  man,  but  Phineas 
Duge  looked  into  her  face  unmoved. 

"  Uncle,"  she  said,  "  I  am  no  longer  any  use 
to  you.  I  think  that  I  had  better  go  home." 

He  took  out  his  pocket-book,  looked  through 
its  contents,  and  passed  it  across  the  table  to  her. 

"  As  you  will,"  he  answered.  "  I  have  a  great 
weakness  which  I  am  always  ready  to  admit.  I 


BEARDING  THE  LION  107 

cannot  bear  the  presence  about  me  of  people  who 
have  failed.  You  have  become  one  of  them,  and 
I  do  not  wish  you  to  remain  here.  If,"  he  added, 
speaking  more  slowly,  and  looking  meditatively 
into  the  decanter  by  his  side,  "  if  you  saw  any 
chance  by  which,  with  the  help  of  what  you  will 
find  in  that  pocket-book,  a  little  application,  a 
little  ingenuity,  and  a  good  deal  of  perseverance, 
you  could  undo  some  part  of  the  mischief  which 
your  carelessness  has  caused,  then,  of  course,  I 
should  lose  that  feeling  concerning  you,  and  your 
place  here  would  be  open  for  your  return.  It 
would  probably,  also,  be  to  the  advantage  of  your 
people  if  any  such  idea  as  this  resulted  in  success- 
ful action  on  your  part.  There  is  enough  in  that 
pocket-book,"  he  added,  "  to  take  you  where 
you  will,  and  to  enable  you  to  live  as  you  will  for 
the  remainder  of  the  year,  and  during  that  time 
your  people  also  are  provided  for.  I  leave  the 
matter  in  your  hands." 

He  turned  and  left  the  room.  Virginia  stood 
at  the  end  of  the  table,  clasping  the  pocket-book 
in  her  hands,  and  watching  his  retreating  figure. 
He  opened  and  closed  the  door.  She  sank  back 
into  her  place  for  a  moment  and  covered  her  face 
with  her  hands.  For  a  moment  she  forgot  where 
she  was.  The  perfume  of  the  roses,  with  which 
the  table  was  laden,  had  somehow  reminded  her 
of  the  little  farmhouse  with  its  humble  garden, 
far  up  amongst  the  hills. 


CHAPTER  XIV 

STELLA   PROVES    OBSTINATE 

T  ITTLESON  reached  the  hotel  where  Stella 
•^  lived  just  in  time  to  find  the  hall  full  of  her 
trunks,  and  Stella  herself,  in  dark  travelling 
clothes  and  heavily  veiled,  in  the  act  of  saying 
farewell  to  the  manager.  He  came  up  to  her 
eagerly. 

"  I  seem  to  be  just  in  time,  Miss  Duge,"  he 
said.  '  You  are  going  away  ?  " 

"  I  am  certainly  going  away,"  she  answered. 
"  Did  you  wish  to  see  me  ?  " 

Her  manner  took  him  a  little  aback.  Never- 
theless he  reflected  that  there  were  a  good  many 
people  within  hearing,  and  she  was  right  to  be 
cautious. 

"  Can  I  have  three  words  with  you  ? "  he 
begged,  "  alone,  anywhere  ?  " 

She  led  him  into  a  sitting-room,  which  was  for- 
tunately empty. 

"  Well,"  she  said,  continuing  to  draw  on  her 
gloves,  "  what  do  you  want,  Mr.  Littleson  ?  " 

"  You  know  very  well  what  I  want,"  he  an- 
swered quickly.  "  I  have  my  cheque-book  in 
my  pocket,  and  I  am  ready  to  pay  over  the 


STELLA  PROVES  OBSTINATE    109 

hundred  thousand  dollars.  I  know  that  you  have 
the  paper.  If  you  like  to  wait  for  ten  minutes, 
you  can  have  the  money  in  dollars." 

"  How  do  you  know  that  I  have  the  paper  ?  " 
she  asked  calmly. 

'  Your  cousin,  Miss  Virginia,  has  been  to  our 
office,"  he  answered.  "  She  thought,  naturally, 
that  you  had  brought  it  straight  to  us.  I  don't 
know  whether  she  seriously  expected  that  we 
would  give  it  up  again,  but  that  seemed  to  be 
the  object  of  her  visit.  At  any  rate,  we  learnt 
that  you  had  succeeded." 

Stella  was  busy  with  the  last  finger  of  her  glove. 

'Yes!"  she  said,  "I  succeeded.  It  was  a 
brutal  action,  and  I  shall  never  quite  forgive 
myself  for  it,  but  I  got  the  paper." 

"  Well  ?  "  he  said. 

'  Well  ?  "  she  answered  calmly. 

A  horrible  misgiving  came  over  him. 

'  You  haven't  parted  with  it  ?  "  he  demanded 
anxiously.  "  You  haven't  let  your  father  have  it 
back  again  ? " 

"  I  have  not  parted  with  it,"  she  answered, 
"  to  my  father.  On  the  other  hand,  I  certainly 
have  not  got  it.  A  hundred  thousand  dollars  is 
a  good  deal  of  money,  Mr.  Littleson;  but  I  did 
not  commit  theft  for  the  benefit  of  you  and  your 
friends." 

'  What  do  you  mean  ?  "  he  asked  hoarsely. 

"  Exactly  what  I  say,"  she  answered.     "  The 


i  io  THE  GOVERNORS 

paper  is  in  safe  keeping.  You  will  probably  hear 
before  long  who  has  it." 

Littleson  was  speechless.  All  manner  of  hor- 
rible fears  oppressed  him. 

'  You  must  tell  me,"  he  insisted  hoarsely, 
"  where  it  is,  who  has  got  it!  This  is  infamous! 
Why,  if  I  had  not  told  you " 

"  I  should  not  have  known  anything  about  it," 
she  interrupted.  "Quite  true!  I  suppose  I 
ought  to  thank  you.  However,  as  I  say,  the  paper 
is  in  safe  hands,  but  not  my  father's.  You  will 
probably  hear  something  about  it  before  long." 

"  For  God's  sake,  tell  me  who  has  it,  Miss 
Duge!"  he  implored.  'You  can't  understand 
what  this  means  to  us.  We  were  fools  to  sign  it, 
I  know;  but  your  father  insisted,  and  we  had,  I 
suppose,  a  weak  moment.  After  all,  there  isn't 
anything  so  very  terrible  about  it.  We  have  a 
right  to  protect  ourselves,  we  of  the  Trusts, 
whether  our  cause  be  just  or  not." 

"  Exactly !  "  she  admitted.  "  No  doubt  you 
will  have  a  case.  I  hope  you  will  find,  supposing 
the  worst  happens,  that  popular  sympathy  will 
be  on  your  side.  Most  things  are  bought  and 
sold  in  this  country.  I  don't  quite  know  how  the 
American  public  will  appreciate  this  attempted 
buying  of  the  conscience  of  her  public  men.  It 
might  perhaps  make  you  temporarily  a  little 
unpopular,  necessitate  a  trip  to  Europe  perhaps, 
or  something  of  that  sort.  Well,  I  wish  you  well 


"FOR  GOD'S  SAKE,  TELL  ME  WHO  HAS  IT,  Miss  DUGE  !"   HE 
IMPLORED.    Page  110 


STELLA  PROVES  OBSTINATE    in 

out  of  it,  and  now  I  must  really  go.  If  you  do 
have  to  come  across  in  a  hurry,  Mr.  Littleson, 
I  may  see  something  of  you  in  Paris." 

*  You  are  going  to  Europe,  then  ?  "  he  asked 
breathlessly. 

"  By  to-morrow  morning's  boat,"  she  answered. 
"  I  am  going  to  send  my  trunks  down  to  the 
steamer,  and  stay  with  some  friends  to-night." 

"  At  least,"  he  begged,  "  come  down  and  see 
Bardsley  and  Weiss.  I'll  take  you  down  in  the 
automobile.  It  shall  not  detain  you  five  minutes." 

She  shook  her  head. 

"  I  cannot  see  the  faintest  use,"  she  answered, 
"  in  my  going  to  visit  your  friends.  I  have 
really  and  absolutely  parted  with  the  paper,  and 
the  person  in  whose  possession  it  is  will  no  doubt 
communicate  with  you." 

"  His  name  ?  "  Littleson  demanded.  "  I  must 
know  his  name." 

'*  That,"  she  answered,  "  I  decline  to  tell  you; 
but  I  dare  say,  if  you  hurry  back  to  Mr.  Weiss' 
office,  you  will  find  some  news  for  you.  Don't 
look  so  angry.  We  all  have  our  own  game  to 
play,  you  know,  Mr.  Littleson.  I  dare  say  I  have 
behaved  a  little  shabbily  to  you,  but,  you  see,  I 
had  myself  to  consider,  and  in  New  York  you 
know  what  that  means.  Au  revoir!  I  have 
an  idea  that  I  may  see  something  of  you  in 
Europe." 

She  left  Littleson,  who  went  round  to  the  bar 


THE  GOVERNORS 

of  the  hotel  and  had  a  big  drink.  Then  he  lit  a 
cigarette  and  returned  to  his  automobile. 

"  Well,"  he  muttered,  as  he  swung  round 
toward  the  city,  "  I  may  as  well  go  back  and  face 
the  music  ...  !  " 

Weiss'  offices  were  crowded  when  Littleson 
returned.  There  was  excitement  upon  'Change, 
clerks  were  rushing  about,  telephones  were  ring- 
ing. Weiss  himself,  with  his  coat  off,  stood  in  the 
midst  of  it  all,  giving  orders,  answering  the  tele- 
phone, exchanging  a  few  hurried  words  with 
numberless  callers.  He  had  a  big  unlit  cigar  in 
his  mouth,  which  he  was  constantly  chewing. 
He  pushed  Littleson  into  his  private  office,  but 
he  did  not  follow  him  for  some  time.  When  at 
last  he  came  in,  the  uproar  outside  was  declining. 
It  was  five  o'clock,  and  business  was  over  for  the 
day.  Weiss  went  to  a  small  cupboard  and  took 
out  a  whisky  bottle  and  some  glasses.  Before 
he  spoke  a  word  he  had  tossed  off  a  drink. 

"  Big  day  ?  "     Littleson  asked,  mechanically. 

"The  devil's  own  day!"  Weiss  groaned. 
"  We  are  in  it  now  thick,  all  of  us,  you  and  I, 
Higgins  and  Bardsley.  Do  you  know  that  every 
minute  of  the  time  Phineas  Duge  was  supposed  to 
be  lying  on  his  back,  he  was  buying  on  the  Chicago 
market  ?  " 

"  I  am  not  surprised,"  Littleson  answered. 
"  It  seems  to  me  we  ought  to  be  able  to  hold  our 
own,  though." 


STELLA  PROVES  OBSTINATE    113 

"  We  may,"  Weiss  answered,  "  but  it's  a  big 
thing.  Even  if  we  come  out  safe,  we  shall  come 
out  losers.  Well,  did  you  see  the  girl  ?  " 

Littleson  nodded. 

"  I  saw  her,"  he  answered  drily.  "  I  fancy 
things  are  not  moving  our  way  particularly  just 
now,  Weiss." 

"  She  has  not  the  paper  after  all  ?  "  Weiss 
exclaimed. 

"  She  has  had  it  and  parted  with  it,"  Littleson 
answered. 

Weiss  removed  his  unlit  cigar  from  his  mouth, 
and  drew  a  little  breath. 

"  You  d d  fool !  "  he  said.  "  You  bungled 

things,  then  ?  " 

"  I  scarcely  see  where  the  bungling  comes  in," 
Littleson  answered.  "  I  offered  her  a  hundred 
thousand  dollars  for  that  paper.  She  took  the 
tip  and  got  it  somehow.  How  could  I  tell  that 
she  had  another  scheme  in  her  mind  ?  " 

"One  hundred  thousand  dollars!"  Weiss 
muttered.  "  Better  have  offered  her  a  million 
and  made  sure  of  it.  We  shall  have  to  pay  that 
now,  I  expect.  Who's  got  it  ?  " 

"  She  would  not  tell  me,"  Littleson  answered. 

Weiss  felt  his  forehead.  It  was  wringing  wet. 
He  went  to  the  cupboard,  poured  out  another 
drink,  and  lit  his  cigar. 

"  Did  she  give  you  any  idea  ?  "  he  asked. 

"None  at  all!"  Littleson  answered.     "Some 


one  seems  to  have  outbid  us.  I  only  know  that 
it  was  not  Phineas." 

Weiss  leaned  back  in  his  chair. 

"  It  just  shows,"  he  said  under  his  breath, 
"  what  fools  the  shrewdest  of  us  can  be  some- 
times. There  were  you  and  I,  and  Higgins  and 
Bardsley,  four  men  who  have  held  our  own,  and 
more  than  held  our  own,  in  the  innermost  circle 
of  this  thieves*  kitchen.  And  yet,  when  Phineas 
Duge  sprung  that  thing  upon  us,  and  we  saw  the 
thunderbolt  coming,  we  were  like  frightened 
sheep,  glad  to  do  anything  he  suggested,  glad 

to  sign  our  names  even  to  that  d d  paper. 

Do  you  realize,  Littleson,  that  we  may  have  to 
leave  the  country  ?  " 

"  If  we  do,"  he  answered,  "  we  are  done  for  — 
I  am  at  least.  I  am  in  Canadian  Pacifies  too  deep. 
If  I  cannot  keep  the  ball  rolling  here,  I  can  never 
pull  through." 

"  It  all  depends,"  Weiss  said,  "  into  whose 
hands  that  paper  has  gone.  A  week's  grace  is 
all  I  want,  time  enough  to  fight  this  thing  out 
with  Duge." 

"  Has  he  been  near  you  ?  "  Littleson  asked. 
"  Has  he  offered  any  explanation  ?  " 

Weiss  shrugged  his  shoulders. 

"  None,"  he  answered.  "  That  little  fool  of 
a  Leslie,  the  outside  broker,  must  have  given  us 
away.  I  was  afraid  of  him  from  the  first.  He 
was  always  Duge's  man." 


STELLA  PROVES  OBSTINATE    115 

A  clerk  knocked  at  the  door.  He  entered, 
bearing  a  card. 

"  Mr.  Norris  Vine  wishes  to  see  you,  sir!  "  he 
announced. 

Weiss  and  Littleson  exchanged  swift  glances. 
The  same  thought  flashed  into  both  their  minds. 
Neither  spoke  for  fully  a  minute.  Then  Weiss, 
with  the  card  crumpled  up  in  his  hand,  turned  to 
the  clerk,  and  his  voice  sounded  as  though  it  came 
from  a  great  distance. 

"  Show  him  in,"  he  said. 

Littleson  sank  into  a  chair.  His  eyes  were  still 
fixed  upon  his  companion's. 

"  God  in  heaven!  "  he  muttered. 


CHAPTER  XV 

THE    WARNING 

VINE  shook  hands  with  neither  of 
the  two  men  he  greeted  upon  entering  the 
room.  Weiss,  now  that  he  felt  that  a  crisis  of 
some  sort  was  at  hand,  recovered  altogether  from 
the  nervous  excitement  of  the  last  few  minutes. 
He  bowed  courteously,  if  a  little  coldly,  to  Vine, 
and  motioning  him  to  a  chair,  took  his  own  place 
in  the  seat  before  his  desk.  His  manner  was 
composed,  his  face  was  set  and  stern.  Behind  his 
spectacles  his  eyes  steadfastly  watched  the  coun- 
tenance of  the  man  whose  coming  might  mean  so 
much.  Littleson,  taking  his  cue,  did  his  best 
also  to  feign  indifference.  He  leaned  against  a 
writing-table,  close  to  where  Vine  was  sitting,  and 
taking  out  his  case,  carefully  selected  and  lit  a 
cigarette. 

"  Well,  Mr.  Vine,"  Weiss  said,  "  what  can  we 
do  for  you  ?  Are  you  too  going  to  join  in  the 
hustle  for  wealth  ?  Have  you  any  commissions 
for  us  ?  You  will  forgive  me  if  I  ask  you  to  come 
to  the  point  quickly.  Things  are  moving  about 
here  just  now,  and  we  have  little  time  to  our- 
selves. By  the  by,  you  know  Littleson,  I  suppose? 


THE  WARNING  117 

Your  business  with  me  is  not  so  private  that  you 
object  to  his  remaining  ?" 

"  Certainly  not,"  Vine  answered  calmly.  "  As 
a  matter  of  fact,  my  business  concerns  also  Mr. 
Littleson.  In  fact,  there  are  two  other  of  your 
friends  whom  I  should  have  been  equally  glad 
to  have  seen  here." 

"  Indeed!  "  Weiss  answered.     "  You  mean  ?" 

"  Mr.  Bardsley  and  Mr.  Seth  Higgins," 
Vine  replied. 

"  No  doubt,"  Weiss  said,  "  Littleson  and  I  will 
be  able  to  convey  to  them  anything  you  may  have 
to  say.  Come  to  the  point !  What  is  it  ?  Are 
you  going  to  write  another  of  your  sledge-hammer 
articles,  damning  us  all  to  hell  ?  Perhaps  you 
have  come  here  for  a  little  information  as  to  our 
methods.  We  will  do  our  best  to  help  you. 
There  are  times  when  we  fear  enemies  less  than 
friends." 

"  I,  certainly,"  Vine  remarked,  "  do  not  come 
here  as  a  friend,  and  yet,"  he  added,  "  I  am  not 
sure  that  mine  might  not  be  called  to  some  extent 
a  visit  of  friendship.  I  have  come  here  to  warn 
you." 

Weiss  reached  out  his  hand  for  a  box  of  cigars, 
and  biting  the  end  off  one,  put  it  unlit  into  his 
mouth.  He  half  offered  the  box  to  Vine,  who, 
however,  shook  his  head. 

"  Come,"  he  said,  "  you  are  a  little  enigmatic. 
There  is  only  one  sort  of  business  we  understand 


ii8  THE  GOVERNORS 

here.  People  come  to  buy  or  to  sell.  Have  you 
anything  to  sell  ?  " 

Norris  Vine  smiled  quietly,  as  though  at  some 
thought  which  was  passing  through  his  brain. 
He  raised  his  eyes  to  Weiss',  and  looked  him 
steadily  in  the  face. 

"  I  am  in  possession,'*  he  said,  "  of  something 
which  I  think,  Mr.  Weiss,  you  would  give  half 
your  fortune  to  buy,  but  I  have  not  come  here  to 
sell.  I  have  come  here  to  warn  you  of  the  instant 
use  to  which  I  propose  to  put  a  certain  document, 
signed  by  you  and  Littleson,  Bardsley  and  Seth 
Higgins.  It  seems  that  you  have  entered  into  a 
conspiracy  to  remove  from  their  places  in  the 
Government  of  this  country  the  men  who  are 
pledged  to  the  fight  against  the  Trusts  which  you 
control.  By  chance  that  document  has  come 
into  my  hands.  I  propose  to  let  the  people  of 
America  know  what  sort  of  men  you  are,  who  have 
become  the  virtual  governors  of  the  country." 

Stephen  Weiss'  surprise  was  exceedingly  well 
simulated. 

"  I  presume,  Mr.  Vine,"  he  said,  "  that  you 
are  not  here  to  poke  fun  at  us.  Tell  me,  if  you 
please,  what  document  it  is  to  which  you  refer." 

"  I  think,"  Vine  answered,  "  that  I  need  not 
enter  into  too  close  details.  It  is  a  document 
which  you  and  your  friends  signed  at  Phineas 
Duge's  house,  not  many  nights  ago." 

Weiss  rose  to  his  feet,  crossed  the  office,  and 


THE  WARNING  119 

turned  the  kev  in  the  lock  of  the  door.     He  was 

J 

a  big  man,  and  his  face  was  a  little  flushed. 
Littleson,  too,  had  slid  softly  from  the  edge  of 
the  table,  and  was  watching  his  friend's  face  as 
though  for  a  signal.  Norris  Vine,  long,  angular, 
unathletic,  showed  not  the  slightest  signs  of  dis- 
composure. He  was  leaning  back  in  his  chair, 
gently  twirling  by  its  thin  black  ribbon  the  horn- 
rimmed eyeglass  which  he  usually  wore. 

"  Mr.  Vine,"  Weiss  said,  "  whatever  attitude 
we  may  take  up  afterwards,  there  isn't  the  slightest 
need  to  play  a  part  with  you.  We  did  sign  that 
document,  and  we  have  been  kicking  ourselves 
ever  since  for  doing  so.  It  was  Phineas  Duge's 
idea,  and  we  are  fairly  well  convinced  that  he 
pressed  us  for  our  signatures  as  subscribers  to 
the  fund,  simply  for  the  purpose  of  having  in  his 
possession  a  document  which  might,  if  its  contents 
were  known,  cause  us  some  inconvenience.  Am 
I  right  in  assuming  that  he  deceived  us  that  night, 
that  he  himself  never  signed  the  paper  ?  " 

"  His  signature,"  Norris  Vine  answered,  "  cer- 
tainly does  not  appear." 

Weiss  nodded. 

*  Just  as  I  thought,"  he  remarked.  *  There 
was  every  indication  a  few  weeks  ago  of  what  has 
actually  happened,  namely  a  split  between  us  and 
Phineas  Duge.  This  document  was  the  weapon 
with  which  he  had  hoped  to  obtain  the  master- 
hand  over  us.  Now,  instead  of  finding  it  in  his 


120  THE  GOVERNORS 

hands,  we  find  it  in  yours.     What  are  you  going 
to  do  about  it  ?  " 

"  I  am  going  to  use  it,"  Vine  answered.  "  I 
am  going  to  use  it  to  strike  a  blow  against  the 
abominable  system  of  robbery  and  corruption 
which  is  ruining  the  finest  of  all  God's  countries." 

"  Very  well,"  Weiss  said,  "  I  am  not  going  to 
give  away  our  defence,  of  course.  We  may  treat 
the  document  as  a  forgery,  concocted  by  you  or  by 
Phineas  Duge,  either  of  whom  would  have  suffi- 
cient motives.  We  may  insist  upon  it  that  it  was 
an  after-dinner  joke.  We  may  contest  the  mean- 
ing of  the  text,  and  swear  that  we  intended  to  use 
none  but  legitimate  methods  in  this  fight.  Or, 
to  put  the  whole  matter  before  you,  we  may  use 
such  powers  as  we  possess  to  see  that  you  are  put 
out  of  harm's  way  before  you  have  an  oppor- 
tunity to  make  use  of  that  paper.  You  see  we 
have  alternatives.  We  are  not  absolutely  with- 
out hope.  Now  I  ask  you  this,  as  man  to  man. 
The  value  of  that  document  is,  after  all,  a  matter 
of  speculation  to  you.  Put  a  price  on  it,  and 
fight  us  with  our  own  dollars." 

Norris  Vine  shook  his  head  gently. 

"  I  think  not,"  he  said.  "  If  you  gave  me  half 
your  fortunes,  we  should  only  come  into  the  field 
level." 

'  We  are  not  small  men,"  Stephen  Weiss  said 
slowly.  '  We  represent  a  great  power,  and  a 
power  for  which  we  mean  to  fight.  When  I  talk 


THE  WARNING  121 

to  you  of  money,  I  mean  it.  We  will  raise  a 
million  dollars  for  you  before  midday  to-morrow, 
if  you  leave  that  paper  in  our  hands." 

'  We  may  shorten  this  discussion,"  Norris  Vine 
answered,  "  by  my  assuring  you  solemnly  that 
neither  one  nor  twenty  million  dollars  would 
purchase  from  me  this  document.  I  have  spent 
years,  and  every  scrap  of  such  ability  as  I  possess, 
in  writing  against,  and  lecturing  upon,  and  at- 
tacking in  every  way  that  occurred  to  me,  your 
abominable  methods  for  collecting  into  the  hands 
of  a  few  what  should  be  the  comfort  and  happi- 
ness of  the  many.  I  mean  the  wealth  of  this 
country.  Not  even  at  the  peril  of  my  life  would 
I  part  with  the  most  efficient  weapon  which  has 
ever  yet  come  into  my  hands." 

'  Then  why,  Mr.  Vine,"  Littleson  asked, 
bending  over  from  his  place,  "  have  you  come 
here  to  see  us  ?  " 

"  I  have  come,"  Vine  answered,  "  because 
against  you  personally  I  bear  no  malice.  I  am 
not  well  acquainted  with  the  laws  of  this  country, 
but  it  seems  to  me  that  the  verbatim  publication  of 
this  paper  would  mean  for  you  something  more 
than  financial  ruin.  It  would  probably  mean 
the  inside  of  a  prison.  Personally,  I  have  not 
the  least  doubt  that  every  one  of  you  deserves  to 
see  the  inside  of  a  prison,  but  I  am  not  vindictive. 
I  give  you  your  chance.  If  a  trip  to  Europe  in 
the  Kaiser  Wilhelm  to-morrow  morning  seems 


122  THE  GOVERNORS 

to  you  opportune,  you  will  certainly  escape  read- 
ing the  record  of  your  own  folly  in  the  evening 
papers.'* 

Weiss  threw  away  his  half-chewed  cigar,  and 
taking  another  from  the  box,  lit  it  deliberately. 

*  Now,  Mr.  Vine,"  he  said,  "  you  are  a  young 
man  whose  attention  has  never  been  turned  to  the 
practical  affairs  of  life.  You  are  a  literary 
person,  and  you  walk  a  good  deal  with  your  head 
in  the  clouds.  You  haven't  the  hard  common 
sense  of  us  business  men  to  be  able  to  determine 
exactly  what  the  result  in  a  commonplace  world 
is  of  any  definite  action.  I  can  assure  you  that 
no  prison  in  America  could  ever  hold  me  and  my 
friends,  and  that  our  risk  is  not  in  any  way  so 
serious  as  you  imagine.  But,  leaving  out  the 
question  of  our  personal  safety  or  convenience, 
I  want  to  put  this  to  you.  If  you  publish  the 
contents  of  that  document  in  the  evening  papers 
to-morrow,  you  will  produce  in  America  the  great- 
est and  most  ruinous  financial  crisis  that  the 
country  has  ever  known." 

For  the  first  time  Vine's  cold,  immobile  face 
showed  some  signs  of  interest.  He  abandoned 
his  somewhat  negligent  attitude,  and  sat  up  with 
an  attentive  expression. 

'  What  do  you  mean  ?  "  he  asked. 

Weiss  struck  the  table  in  front  of  him  with  his 
,ppen  hand. 

"  Don't  you  know,"  he  said,  "  that  Bardsley, 


THE  WARNING  123 

Littleson,  Higgins,  Phineas  Duge,  and  myself, 
are  the  blood  and  the  muscle  of  this  country,  so 
far  as  regards  finance  ?  Every  one  of  the  great 
railroad  stocks  is  controlled  by  us.  Prices  are 
more  or  less  what  we  make  them.  Three  of  the 
greatest  industrial  undertakings  which  the  world 
has  ever  known,  in  which  are  invested  hundreds  of 
millions  of  honest  American  capital,  are  still 
controlled  by  us.  If  you  publish  that  document, 
whatever  the  ultimate  results  may  be,  there  will 
be  the  worst  scare  in  the  American  money- 
market  which  the  world  has  ever  known.  Lon- 
don and  Paris  were  never  so  ill-prepared  to  come 
to  the  rescue,  as  a  glance  at  the  morning  papers 
will  show  you.  You  will  not  find  a  city  nor  a 
village  in  this  country,  or  a  street,  I  almost  was 
going  to  say  a  house,  in  New  York,  where  there 
will  not  be  a  ruined  man  to  curse  you  and  your 
ill-considered  action.  The  shrinkage  in  values 
in  a  few  hours,  of  good  and  honest  stocks,  will 
come  to  twice  as  much  as  would  pay  for  the 
Russo-Japanese  war.  I  doubt  whether  this 
country  would  ever  recover  from  the  shock. 
That,  Mr.  Vine,  is  precisely  what  would  happen 
if  you  adopt  the  methods  of  which  you  have  just 
warned  us." 

Weiss  ceased  speaking  and  replaced  the  cigar 
in  his  mouth.  Littleson,  a  few  feet  off,  felt  the 
perspiration  breaking  out  upon  his  forehead. 
His  breath  was  coming  fast.  The  slow,  crushing 


124  THE  GOVERNORS 

words  of  his  partner  had  worked  him  into  a  state 
of  excitement  such  as  he  had  scarcely  believed 
himself  capable  of.  And  Norris  Vine,  the  im- 
perturbable, was  obviously  impressed.  Weiss 
had  spoken  almost  as  a  man  inspired.  To  treat 
his  words  lightly  seemed  impossible. 

'  You  have  given  me  something,"  Vine  said 
slowly,  "  to  think  over.  I  should  be  very  sorry, 
of  course,  to  bring  about  such  a  state  of  things  as 
you  have  spoken  of.  At  the  same  time,  I  am  not, 
as  you  say,  a  practical  man.  I  cannot  follow  you 
in  all  you  say.  It  seems  to  me  that  if  this  im- 
mense depreciation  of  funds  really  took  place, 
especially  in  the  case  of  undertakings  of  solid 
value,  the  pendulum  woulds  wing  back  to  its  place 
very  soon.  Values  always  assert  themselves." 

"  And  the  people  who  would  benefit,"  Weiss 
said,  leaning  forward,  "  are  the  foreigners  who 
stepped  in  with  their  gold  and  bought  for  them- 
selves a  share  in  our  country  at  half  its  value." 

He  stopped  to  answer  for  a  moment  an  insistent 
ringing  of  the  telephone  from  the  outer  office.  As 
he  laid  the  receiver  down  he  turned  to  Vine. 

"  Look  here,"  he  said,  "  you  doubt  my  state- 
ment. Outside  in  the  office  there  is  waiting  to  see 
me,  upon  a  matter  of  business,  a  man  who  is  as 
much  my  enemy  as  you  are.  I  mean  John 
Drayton,  Governor  of  New  York.  Would  you 
call  him  an  honest  man  ?  " 

"  Absolutely!  "  Vine  answered. 


THE  WARNING  125 

'  Would  you  consider  him  a  shrewd  man  ?  " 

"  Certainly,"  Vine  assented. 

'*  Then  look  here,"  Weiss  said.  "  I  am  going 
to  ask  him  to  come  into  this  office.  I  am  going 
to  treat  this  matter  as  an  academic  discussion, 
and  I  am  going  to  ask  him  then  what  the  result 
would  be  of  such  a  step  as  you  propose." 

"  Very  well,"  Vine  answered.  "  I  pledge  my- 
self to  nothing,  but  I  should  like  to  hear  John 
Drayton's  opinion." 


CHAPTER  XVI 

A  TRUCE 

"tI7"EISS  unlocked  and  threw  open  the  office 
door,  and  a  moment  later  returned  with  a 
tall,  grey-headed  man,  with  closely  cropped  beard 
and  gold-rimmed  eyeglasses.  He  shook  hands 
with  Vine  warmly,  and  nodded  to  Littleson. 

'  What,  you  here  in  the  lion's  den,  Vine  ?  "  he 
remarked,  smiling.  "  Be  careful  or  they  will  eat 
you  up." 

Vine  smiled. 

"  I  am  not  afraid,"  he  said,  "  especially  now 
that  you  are  here  to  support  me." 

"  Mr.  Vine,"  Weiss  said,  "  shows  himself  pos- 
sessed of  our  natural  quality,  audacity.  He  is 
here,  I  frankly  believe,  to  pick  up  damaging  in- 
formation against  us,  for  use  the  next  time  he 
issues  his  thunders.  We  have  been  led  into  an 
interesting  discussion,  and  we  have  a  point  to 
refer  to  you." 

John  Drayton  sat  down  and  accepted  the  cigar 
which  Weiss  passed  him. 

"  Sure,"  he  said,  "  I'll  be  very  pleased  to  join 
in;  but  you  are  a  rash  man,  Weiss,  to  refer  to  me, 
for  you  know  very  well  my  sympathies  are  with 


A  TRUCE  127 

Mr.  Vine  here.  I  hate  you  millionaires  and  your 
Trusts,  on  principle  of  course,  although  I  must 
admit  that  some  of  you  are  very  good  fellows,  and 
smoke  thundering  good  cigars,"  he  added,  taking 
his  from  his  mouth  for  a  moment  and  looking 
at  it. 

"  I  don't  care,"  Weiss  answered.  "  The  point 
I  want  you  to  decide  scarcely  calls  upon  your 
sympathies  so  much  as  your  judgment.  We 
were  imagining  a  case  in  which  say  half  a  dozen 
men,  who  held  the  position  of  myself  and  Phineas 
Duge  and  Littleson  here,  I  think  I  might  say  the 
half-dozen  most  powerful  men  in  America,  were 
suddenly,  without  a  moment's  warning,  to  lose 
in  the  eyes  of  the  whole  of  the  public  every  scrap 
of  character  and  stability,  were  to  be  threatened 
with  absolute  ruin,  and  a  term  of  imprisonment 
for  misdemeanour.  What  would  be  the  effect 
upon  this  country  for  the  next  forty-eight  hours 
or  so  ?  " 

John  Drayton  removed  his  cigar  from  his 
mouth. 

*  The  one  reason,"  he  said  impressively,  "  why 
I  hate  your  Trusts,  why  I  loathe  to  see  all  the 
power  of  this  country  gathered  together  in  the 
hands  of  a  few  men  such  as  you  have  mentioned, 
is  that,  in  the  event  of  such  a  happening  as  you 
have  put  forth,  the  country  would  have  to  face  a 
crisis  that  would  mean  ruin  to  hundreds  of  thou- 
sands of  her  innocent  people." 


ia8  THE  GOVERNORS 

Then  for  the  first  time  during  this  interview 
Weiss'  full  round  lips  receded  in  a  smile.  His 
spectacles  could  not  hide  the  flash  of  triumph  that 
leapt  out.  He  turned  to  Vine. 

'  You  hear  ?  "  he  said  simply. 

'  Yes,  I  hear!  "  Norris  Vine  answered. 

"  Of  course,"  John  Drayton  continued,  "  I  do 
not  know  how  you  drifted  into  a  conversation  such 
as  this,  but  in  my  last  article  in  the  North  Ameri- 
can Review,  which  Mr.  Vine  here  will  probably 
remember,  I  took  the  case  of  even  a  single  man 
controlling  one  of  the  huge  mercantile  Trusts  in 
this  country,  and  tried  to  show  what  would  hap- 
pen to  the  small  investors  in  a  perfectly  sound 
undertaking  should  a  collapse  happen  to  a  holder 
of  shares  to  this  excessive  extent.  It  is  a  painful 
thing  to  have  to  confess,  but  there  is  no  doubt 
that  it  exists.  We  Americans  are  a  great  com- 
mercial people,  and  the  dollar  fever  runs  a  little 
too  hotly  in  our  blood.  We  stretch  out  our  hands 
too  far.  Vine,  I  know,  agrees  with  me." 

'  Yes,"  Vine  answered,  "  I  agree  with  you!  " 

He  rose  to  his  feet.  John  Drayton  followed 
his  example. 

"  My  business  is  really  concluded,"  he  re- 
marked. "  I  had  to  see  your  manager  on  behalf 
of  a  client  of  mine.  Are  you  coming  my  way, 
Vine  ?  I  am  going  to  the  club." 

"  I  will  follow  you  in  a  few  minutes,"  Vine 
answered. 


John  Drayton  went  out,  and  once  more  the 
three  men  were  alone. 

'  You  see,  Mr.  Vine,"  Weiss  said  slowly,  "  this 
isn't  the  country  or  the  age  for  Don  Quixotes. 
Fight  against  our  Trusts  and  our  monetary 
system  with  all  your  eloquence,  if  you  will,  but 
don't  tamper  with  things  you  don't  understand, 
or  you  may  do  harm  where  you  meant  to  do  good. 
Now  what  can  we  say  to  you  about  that  docu- 
ment ?  " 

"  I  am  not  prepared,"  Vine  said,  rising,  "  to 
come  to  any  definite  decision  at  this  moment. 
Frankly,  I  want  to  use  it  so  as  to  do  you  the 
greatest  possible  amount  of  harm.  On  the  other 
hand,  I  never  contemplated  any  such  develop- 
ments as  you  and  John  Drayton  have  suggested. 
I  am  going  to  think  this  matter  over." 

'  We  are  open  enemies,"  Weiss  said,  "  and 
there  is  no  reason  why  we  should  not  respect  one 
another  as  such.  We  ask  you  to  abide  by  the 
ways  of  civilized  warfare.  Don't  strike  without 
a  word,  at  any  rate,  of  warning.  It  will  be  in  the 
interests  of  others,  as  well  as  ourselves." 

"  Very  well,"  Vine  said.     "  I  promise  that." 

He  left  the  office  without  any  further  word, 
without  shaking  hands  with  either  of  the  two 
men.  Weiss  sat  down  in  his  seat,  and  Littleson, 
who  was  trembling  all  over,  came  to  his  side. 

"  Stephen,"  he  said,  "  you're  a  great  man. 
Come  right  along  out  of  this  and  go  to  Parker's 


130  THE  GOVERNORS 

and  have  a  bottle.     My  nerves  are  all  on  the 
twitch." 

Weiss  rose  and  put  on  his  hat.  The  two  men 
left  the  office  together,  and  climbed  into  Little- 
son's  automobile. 

Vine  walked  thoughtfully  down  to  his  club. 
Amongst  the  letters  which  the  hall-porter  handed 
to  him  was  one  from  Stella.  He  tore  it  open  and 
read  it  standing  there. 

"  MY  DEAR  NORRIS,"  it  began, — 

"  Events  have  been  marching  a  little  too 
rapidly  for  me  lately,  and  I  am  going  away.  I 
cannot  stand  New  York  any  longer.  Fifth 
Avenue  gives  me  the  horrors,  and  I  am  afraid 
to  open  an  American  paper.  Besides,  there  are 
other  things,  to  which  I  need  not  allude,  which 
make  me  think  that  it  would  perhaps  be  better 
for  me  to  take  a  journey.  You  will  see  from 
where  I  am  writing  I  am  on  board  the  Kaiser 
Wilhelm.  Where  I  shall  go  to  in  Europe,  or 
what  I  shall  do,  I  am  not  sure.  I  am  not  sure 
either  that  it  would  interest  you  to  know.  You 
are  very  absorbed  in  your  profession,  and  I  do 
not  think  that  the  things  outside  it  mean  much 
to  you.  I  suppose  that  is  the  usual  fate  of  us 
women.  We  are  always  willing  to  give,  and  we 
make  no  bargains.  Don't  think  that  I  am  re- 
proaching you,  only  I  have  made  America  an 


A  TRUCE  131 

impossible  place  for  me  just  now.  I  could  not 
bear  to  see  that  poor  little  cousin  of  mine,  with 
her  big  reproachful  eyes.  Nor  if  you  fill  your 
purpose,  and  the  storm  comes,  do  I  care  to  feel 
that  I  am  responsible  for  the  trouble  which  must 
surely  follow. 

"  Good-bye,  Norris !  I  wish  you  every  sort  of 
good  fortune,  and  if  I  dared  I  would  say  that  I 
wish  you  a  little  more  heart,  a  little  more  under- 
standing, and  a  little  more  gratitude! 

"  STELLA." 

He  folded  the  letter  up  and  placed  it  carefully 
in  his  coat  pocket.  Then  he  went  off  into  the 
reading-room  in  search  of  John  Drayton.  Life 
did  not  seem  to  him  so  absolutely  simple  a  thing 
now,  as  a  few  hours  ago. 


BOOK  II 
CHAPTER  I 

MY   NAME    IS    MILDMAY 

"T  AM  quite  sure,"  Virginia  protested,  a  little 
•*•  shyly, "  that  you  will  want  it  yourself  before 
long." 

The  young  man  laughed  pleasantly. 

"  I  am  going  to  run  that  risk,  anyhow,"  he  said. 
"  Please  let  me  wrap  it  round  you  properly,  so." 

He  did  not  wait  for  her  consent,  but  after  all 
she  was  scarcely  prepared  to  withhold  it,  for  it  was 
a  very  cold  morning,  and  the  young  man  who  had 
been  sitting  on  the  next  chair,  with  an  unused 
rug  by  his  side,  was  wearing  a  particularly  heavy 
fur  coat. 

"  I  think,"  he  said,  "  that  it  is  quite  plucky  of 
you  to  stay  up  on  deck  a  morning  like  this.  I 
suppose  your  people  are  all  below  ?  " 

She  shook  her  head. 

"  My  people,"  she  said,  "  are  a  very  long  way 
away." 

*  Your  maid,  then,"  he  suggested.  "  Useless 
creatures  maids,  at  a  time  like  this.  They  are 
nearly  always  seasick,  especially  the  first  day  out." 

Again  she  shook  her  head. 


MY  NAME  IS  MILDMAY         133 

"  I  am  travelling  quite  alone,"  she  said. 

He  looked  at  her  in  astonishment. 

"  Alone!  "  he  repeated.  '  Why,  you  seem  to 
me  much  too  young.  Forgive  me,  please,"  he 
added,  apologetically,  "  I  did  not  mean  to  be 
impertinent.  I  suppose  you  are  an  American  ?  " 

"  I  am,"  she  admitted. 

"Ah!  that  explains  everything,"  he  remarked 
with  a  little  gesture  of  relief.  *  You  belong, 
then,  to  the  most  wonderful  race  on  earth,  to  the 
only  race  who  have  dared  to  cross  swords  with 
Mrs.  Grundy  and  disarm  her." 

"  On  the  contrary,"  she  declared,  "  Mrs. 
Grundy  of  New  York  is  quite  as  formidable  as 
Mrs.  Grundy  of  London,  only  we  don't  invoke 
her  quite  so  often.  Still,  I  will  admit  that,  strictly 
speaking,  I  ought  not  to  be  travelling  alone.  The 
circumstances  are  very  exceptional." 

"  I  hope,"  he  said  earnestly,  "  that  you  will 
give  me  the  opportunity  of  looking  after  you  some 
of  the  time.  I  am  quite  alone,  too,  and  I  know  no 
one  on  board." 

She  let  her  eyes  rest  for  a  moment  or  two  upon 
his  face.  He  was  very  fair,  young,  certainly  not 
more  than  seven  or  eight  and  twenty,  and  reason- 
ably good-looking;  but  apart  from  these  things, 
he  had  eyes  which  she  liked,  a  voice  which  was 
indubitable,  and  manners  which  left  no  possible 
room  for  doubt  as  to  his  status.  She  bowed  her 
head  a  little  gravely. 


134  THE  GOVERNORS 

"  You  are  very  kind  indeed,"  she  said.  "  I 
have  never  crossed  before,  and  I  am  quite  sure 
that  if  you  have  the  time  to  spare,  you  can  be 
ever  so  useful  to  me." 

He  smiled  reassuringly. 

"  That's  settled  then,"  he  said.  "  I  can  assure 
you  that  I  feel  very  much  more  interested  in  the 
voyage  already.  By  the  by,  my  name  is  Mild- 
may." 

"  And  mine,"  she  replied,  after  a  moment's 
hesitation,  "  is  Virginia  Longworth." 

''  Virginia,"  he  repeated  with  a  smile.  "  I 
think  that  is  one  of  the  most  delightful  of  your 
American  names." 

*  You  are  English,  aren't  you  ?  "  she  asked. 

He  nodded. 

"  I,"  he  said,  "  am  returning  from  my  first 
visit  to  the  States.  I  have  been  to  stay  with  a 
cousin  who  has  a  ranch  out  West.  We  had  ever 
such  a  good  time." 

She  looked  at  his  sunburnt  skin,  and  smiled  to 
herself. 

"  Did  you  stay  in  New  York  ?  "  she  asked. 

"  Only  two  days,"  he  answered.  "  Somehow 
or  other  those  big  places  are  rather  terrifying.  I 
had  no  friends  there,  and  I  wandered  about  as 
though  I  were  in  a  wilderness." 

"  What  a  pity!  "  she  murmured.  "Americans 
are  so  hospitable.  Surely  you  could  have  found 
some  friends  if  you  had  wished  to!  " 


MY  NAME  IS  MILDMAY         135 

He  smiled  a  little  whimsically. 

"  Yes!  "  he  said,  "  I  dare  say  I  could,  but  I 
hadn't  the  time  to  spare  to  look  them  up.  Now 
tell  me  about  your  visit  to  England.  Where  are 
you  going  to  stay  ?  In  the  country  or  in  London  ?" 

"  I  am  not  sure,"  she  answered,  "  but  I  think 
in  London,  at  first  at  any  rate." 

"  You  have  relations  there,  of  course  ? "  he 
asked. 

"  None,"  she  answered. 

"  Friends,  then  ?  " 

She  turned  her  dark  eyes  upon  him.  He  felt 
himself  suddenly  embarrassed. 

"  I  am  awfully  sorry,"  he  said.  "  I've  no 
right  to  ask  you  all  these  questions.  The  fact  is, 
I  was  only  trying  to  make  sure  that  I  should  be 
able  to  see  something  of  you  after  we  had  landed." 

She  smiled. 

"  I  am  afraid,"  she  said,  "  that  that  will  be 
scarcely  possible,  but,  if  you  don't  mind,  you 
mustn't  ask  me  any  questions  about  my  journey. 
I  will  admit  that  it  is  rather  a  peculiar  one,  that 
I  have  no  friends  in  England,  that  I  made  up 
my  mind  to  come  all  of  a  sudden.  My  journey 
has  an  object,  of  course,  but  I  cannot  tell  you  what 
it  is,  and  you  must  not  ask  me." 

"  Of  course  I  will  not,"  he  answered,  "  but  I 
shall  talk  to  you  again  about  this  before  we  land. 
I  mean  to  say  that  you  must  let  me  give  you  my 
card,  and  you  will  know,  at  any  rate,  that  there 


136  THE  GOVERNORS 

is  some  one  in  England  to  whom  you  can  send 
if  you  are  in  need  of  a  friend." 
She  smiled  at  him  delightfully. 
"  And   I   have   always   been  told,"   she  said, 
"that  Englishmen  were  so  slow!     Why,  I  have 
known  you  scarcely  a  quarter  of  an  hour." 

'*  But  I  have  watched  you,"  he  answered,  "  for 
two  days." 

'  Well,"  she  declared,  "  I  like  impulsive 
people,  so  I  dare  say  I'll  ask  you  for  the  card 
before  we  land.  Do  you  live  in  London  ?  " 

"  I  have  a  house  there,"  he  answered.  '  I  am 
there  for  about  two  months  in  the  year,  and  odd 
week-ends  during  the  hunting  season." 

'  Tell  me  about  London,  please,"  she  said. 
"  Historically,"  he  began,  a  little   doubtfully. 
"  I  am  afraid  - 

She  interrupted  him,  shaking  her  head. 
"No!"  she   said,  "tell   me   about   the   best 
restaurants  and  theatres,  and  how  the  people  live." 
"  That's  a  large  order,"  he  answered,  "  but 
I'll  try." 

They  talked  for  an  hour  or  more;  neither,  in 
fact,  took  an  exact  account  of  the  time.  Suddenly 
they  looked  up  to  see  a  dark-faced,  correct-looking 
servant  standing  before  them. 

'  The  luncheon  gong  has  gone,  your  Grace," 
he  said.     "  Shall  I  take  the  rugs  ?  " 

They  made  their  way  into  the  saloon  together. 
Virginia  looked  up  at  him  curiously. 


MY  NAME  IS   MILDMAY         137 

'  You  said  that  your  name  was  Mildmay,"  she 
remarked.  '  What  did  your  servant  mean  by 
calling  you  '  your  Grace  '  ?  " 

He  laughed. 

"  Oh!  I  haven't  had  the  fellow  very  long,"  he 
said,  "  and  he  came  straight  to  me  from  some 
Italian  duke,  or  nobleman  of  some  sort.  I 
suppose  he  hasn't  got  out  of  the  habit  yet.  I 
wonder  whether  I  can  arrange  to  come  and  sit  at 
your  table.  The  purser  seems  rather  a  decent 
fellow." 

"  I  haven't  been  in  the  saloon  at  all  yet," 
Virginia  said,  "  but  it  would  be  very  nice  if  you 
could  sit  somewhere  near  me." 

Mr.  Mildmay  found  it  an  easy  matter  to  ar- 
range. His  seat  at  the  captain's  table  was  ex- 
changed for  one  at  the  purser's,  and  the  two  were 
side  by  side.  Then  Virginia,  looking  around, 
received  a  little  shock.  She  heard  her  name 
spoken  across  the  table,  and,  looking  up,  found 
that  she  was  exactly  opposite  Mr.  Littleson. 

"  How  do  you  do,  Miss  Longworth  ?  "  he  said. 
"  I  had  no  idea  that  we  were  to  be  fellow  pas- 
sengers." 

She  was  almost  too  surprised  to  answer  him 
coherently,  but  she  faltered  out  something  about 
an  unexpected  journey.  Afterwards,  on  the  way 
to  her  stateroom,  she  overtook  him  near  one  of 
the  companion-ways,  and  laid  her  hand  upon 
his  arm. 


138  THE  GOVERNORS 

"  Mr.  Littleson,"  she  said,  "  would  you  do  me 
a  favour  ? " 

"  Why,  I  should  say  so,'*  he  answered.  "  Noth- 
ing I'd  like  better." 

"  Don't  tell  anybody  anything  about  me,"  she 
begged,  "  I  mean  about  my  uncle,  or  anything  of 
that  sort  at  all.  I  am  going  over  to  England  on 
a  very  foolish  errand,  I  think,  and  I  wish  to  keep 
it  to  myself." 

Littleson  became  a  trifle  grave.  He  was  not  a 
bad  sort  of  a  fellow,  and  Virginia  seemed  little 
more  than  a  charming  child  as  she  stood  in  the 
passage,  looking  up  at  him  with  appealing  eyes 
and  slightly  parted  lips. 

"  Do  you  mean,"  he  asked,  "  that  you  have  run 
away  from  your  uncle  ?  " 

"  Not  exactly  that,"  she  answered.  "  My  uncle 
was  quite  willing  to  have  me  leave  him,  but  he 
does  not  know  exactly  where  I  am,  nor  do  my 
people.  Will  you  keep  my  secret,  please  ?  " 

"  Certainly!  "  he  answered. 

"  From  every  one  on  board,  as  well  as  from 
your  letters  if  you  write  from  Queenstown  ?  " 

'  Well,  I'll  try  to  do  as  you  say,"  he  answered, 
"  but  I  should  like  to  have  a  talk  with  you  before 
we  land." 

He  went  to  his  stateroom  a  little  thoughtfully. 
It  had  not  yet  occurred  to  him  that  Virginia's 
errand  to  London  and  his  might  possibly  have 
something  in  common. 


CHAPTER  II 

REFLECTIONS 

T  ITTLESON,  before  many  hours  of  their 
••^ '  voyage  had  passed,  became  conscious  that 
Virginia  was  showing  a  slight  but  unmistakable 
desire  to  avoid  his  society.  Being  a  Harvard 
graduate,  something  of  an  athlete,  and  a  young 
man  of  fashion  and  popularity,  he  did  not  for  a 
moment  entertain  the  idea  that  there  could  be 
anything  personal  in  her  feeling.  He  came  to 
the  conclusion,  therefore,  that  she  had  either  dis- 
covered his  connection  with  Stella's  behaviour, 
or  that  the  object  of  her  visit  to  Europe  was  one 
that  she  desired  to  conceal  from  him.  On  the 
afternoon  of  the  day  when  he  had  received  his 
first  but  distinct  snub,  he  made  a  point  of  drawing 
his  chair  over  to  hers. 

"  I  am  not  going  to  bother  you  very  much,  Miss 
Longworth,"  he  said,  "  but  I  feel  that  I  must  ask 
you  a  question.  I  don't  want  you  t©  break  any 
confidences,  and  I  haven't  much  to  tell  you  my- 
self, but  I  should  like  to  know  whether  your  visit 
to  England  has  anything  to  do  with  what  hap- 
pened one  night  in  the  library  of  your  uncle's 
house  ?  " 


i4o  THE  GOVERNORS 

"  So  you  know  about  that  then,  do  you  ?  "  she 
asked  quietly. 

"  I  do,"  he  answered.  "  I  know  that  a  paper 
was  stolen  by  your  cousin,  and  handed  over  to  a 
person  whom  we  will  not  name,  but  who  is  now 
in  Europe.  I  will  tell  you  this  much  —  I  am 
going  across  so  as  to  keep  in  touch  with  that 
person.  It  seems  odd  that  you,  who  are  involved 
in  the  same  affair,  should  be  going  over  by  the 
same  steamer." 

"  The  object  of  my  journey,"  Virginia  said, 
looking  out  seaward,  "  concerns  nobody  but 
myself." 

The  young  man  nodded. 

"  I  expected  that  you  would  say  that,"  he  re- 
marked coolly.  "  Still,  our  meeting  like  this  in- 
duced me  to  ask  you  the  question.  If  I  can  be  of 
any  service  to  you  in  London,  I  hope  you  will  not 
fail  to  let  me  know.  Your  uncle  would  never 
forgive  me  if  I  did  not  do  everything  I  could  in  the 
way  of  looking  after  you." 

Virginia  smiled  a  little  bitterly. 

"  My  uncle,"  she  said,  "  is  not  likely  to  trouble 
his  head  about  me.  He  has  dispensed  with  my 
services  for  the  future.  When  I  go  home,  I  am 
going  back  to  my  own  people." 

Littleson  was  genuinely  sorry.  To  a  certain 
extent  he  felt  that  this  was  his  fault. 

"That's  just  like  Phineas,"  he  said.  "Hard  as 
nails,  and  without  a  dime's  worth  of  consideration. 


REFLECTIONS  141 

I  don't  see  how  you  could  help  what  happened. 
You  gave  nothing  up  voluntarily.  You  told 
nobody  anything." 

"  My  uncle,"  Virginia  said,  "  judges  only  by 
results.  After  all,  it  is  the  only  infallible  way. 
I  am  going  to  read  a  little  now.  Do  you  mind  ? 
Talking  makes  my  head  ache." 

He  bowed  and  went  his  way.  For  an  hour  or 
more  he  paced  up  and  down  on  the  other  side  of 
the  deck,  thinking.  It  was,  of  course,  impossible 
that  this  child  should  have  come  across  with  the 
hope  of  wresting  from  Norris  Vine  the  paper 
which  all  their  offers  and  eloquence  had  failed  to 
entice  him  to  give  up.  And  yet  he  did  not  under- 
stand her  journey.  He  knew  very  well  that 
Phineas  Duge  had  neither  connections  nor  rela- 
tives in  England.  Only  a  few  weeks  ago,  in  talk- 
ing to  Virginia  at  dinner-time,  she  had  told  him 
that  she  had  no  hope,  at  present  at  any  rate,  of 
visiting  Europe.  Later  in  the  day  he  sent  a 
marconigram  back  to  New  York.  Perhaps 
Weiss  would  see  something  suggestive  in  the 
presence  of  this  child  upon  the  steamer! 

"  So  you  have  found  one  friend  on  board," 
Mildmay  remarked,  pausing  before  her  chair. 

"  He  is  not  a  friend,"  she  answered,  "  and  I  do 
not  like  him.  That  is  why  I  told  him  that  it 
made  my  head  ache  to  talk." 

'  Then  I  suppose "  he  began. 


I42  THE  GOVERNORS 

"  You  are  to  suppose  nothing,  but  to  sit  down," 
she  said.  '  Talk  to  me  about  London,  please,  or 
anything,  or  any  place.  I  am  a  little  tired  to-day. 
I  suppose  I  should  say  really  a  little  depressed. 
I  cannot  read,  and  I  don't  like  my  thoughts." 

"  You  are  such  a  child,"  he  said  softly,  "  to  talk 
like  that." 

"  I  am  nineteen,"  she  answered,  "  and  some- 
times I  feel  thirty-nine." 

"  Nineteen !  "  he  repeated,  "  and  coming  across 
to  a  strange  country  all  by  yourself.  The  Am- 
erican spirit  is  a  wonderful  thing." 

She  shook  her  head. 

"  It  isn't  the  American  spirit,"  she  said  simply. 
"  It  is  necessity.  I  think  that  any  girl,  English 
or  American,  would  prefer  having  some  one  to 
take  care  of  her,  to  going  about  alone." 

"  You  make  one  feel  inclined "  he  began, 

bending  forward  and  looking  into  her  eyes. 

"  After  all,"  she  interrupted,  "  I  think  I  had 
better  read." 

"  Please  don't!  "  he  begged, "  I  promise  to  talk 
most  seriously.  It  is  not  my  fault  if  I  forgot  for 
a  moment.  You  looked  at  me,  you  know,  and 
we  are  not  used  to  eyes  like  that  in  England." 

"  You  are  either  very  silly,"  she  said,  "  or  very 
impertinent.  I  think  that  I  shall  send  you  away." 

"There  is  no  one  else,"  he  said,  looking  around, 
"  to  entertain  you,  and  I  am  really  going  to  try 
very  hard  to." 


REFLECTIONS  143 

"  Then  please  reach  me  up  those  chocolates 
and  begin,"  she  said.  '  Tell  me  about  where 
you  live  in  the  country." 

Mildmay,  who  had  seven  houses  in  different 
parts  of  the  United  Kingdom,  was  a  little  at  a  loss, 
but  he  talked  to  her  about  one,  in  which,  by  the 
by,  he  never  lived,  a  gaunt  grey  stone  building 
on  the  Northumbrian  coast,  whose  windows  were 
splashed  with  the  spray  of  the  North  Sea,  but 
whose  gardens  were  famous  throughout  the  north 
of  England.  He  very  soon  succeeded  in  inter- 
esting her.  She  felt  something  absurdly  restful 
in  the  sound  of  his  strong,  good-natured  voice, 
with  its  slightly  protective  intonation.  They  sat 
there  until  the  luncheon  gong  rang,  and  then  they 
rose  and  walked  for  a  time  together.  The  sun 
had  come  out,  and  the  grey  sea  was  changing  into 
blue.  The  decks  were  dry.  The  syren  had 
ceased  to  blow.  The  motion  of  the  ship  had 
become  soothing,  and  the  spray,  which  leaped 
now  into  the  air,  sparkled  in  the  sunlight  like 
diamond  drops. 

'  What  a  change!  "  she  murmured,  looking 
around. 

"  Wonderful,  isn't  it  ?  "  he  assented.  "  And 
what  a  gloriously  salt  breeze!  " 

"  I  declare,"  she  said,  "  I  am  positively  hungry! 
I  believe,  after  all,  that  I  am  going  to  enjoy  this 
voyage." 

After  luncheon  she  hesitated  for  a  moment,  and 


144  THE  GOVERNORS 

then  with  a  little  sigh  turned  into  her  stateroom. 
She  sat  down  upon  her  bunk,  and  leaning  her 
elbow  on  the  round  space,  gazed  thoughtfully  out 
of  the  open  port-hole.  Had  she  been  foolish  to 
forget  for  a  little  while,  and  was  she  in  danger 
of  being  more  foolish  still!  Her  thoughts  trav- 
elled back  to  the  little  farmhouse  so  far  removed 
from  civilization.  She  thought  of  the  altered 
life  they  were  all  living  there,  her  father  freed  from 
care,  her  brother  at  college,  her  mother  with  that 
anxious  light  banished  from  her  eyes,  no  more 
having  to  scheme  day  by  day  how  to  pay  the 
tradesmen's  slender  bills  which  so  quickly  became 
formidable.  To  think  that  the  old  days  might 
return  was  a  nightmare  to  her.  She  felt  that  she 
would  do  anything,  dare  anything,  to  win  her 
way  back  to  her  old  position  with  her  uncle. 
Only  a  few  words  had  passed  between  them  at 
parting.  She  had  asked  him  to  let  her  people 
know  nothing,  to  let  them  believe  that  she  had 
gone  on  a  journey  for  him. 

"  Let  them  have  a  few  more  months !  "  she 
begged.  "  Then  if  I  succeed  in  what  I  am  going 
to  try,  it  will  be  all  right.  If  I  fail,  well,  they  will 
have  been  happy  for  a  little  longer." 

He  had  spoken  no  word  of  hope  to  her.  He 
had  made  no  promises.  All  that  he  had  said  had 
been  curt  and  to  the  point. 

'  What  you  lost  it  is  open  for  you  to  find.  If  it 
is  found,  it  will  be  as  though  it  were  not  lost." 


REFLECTIONS  145 

But  what  a  wild-goose  chase  it  seemed!  How 
could  she  hope  for  success!  Even  Stella  would 
laugh  at  her;  and  Vine, — she  had  seen  him  only 
once,  but  she  could  imagine  the  smile  with  which 
he  would  greet  any  entreaties  she  could  frame. 
She  shook  her  head  at  her  own  thoughts.  En- 
treaties! She  would  have  to  choose  other 
weapons  than  these.  By  force  and  cunning  she 
had  been  robbed;  her  only  chance  of  effective 
reply  would  be  to  use  the  same  means,  only  to 
use  them  more  surely.  Meanwhile  she  told  her- 
self that  she  must  keep  away  from  these  dis- 
tractions. After  all,  she  was  only  a  child,  and 
she  had  had  so  little  kindness  from  any  one. 
Her  head  sank  a  little  lower,  and  her  hands  went 
up  before  her  eyes.  What  an  idiot  she  was, 
after  all!  Then  she  locked  the  door,  and  cried 
herself  to  sleep. 


CHAPTER  III 


WILL   YOU   MARRY   ME  " 


time,"  he  said  firmly,   "  you  cannot 
escape  me.     Will  you  sit  down  in  your 
chair,  or  shall  we  talk  here  ?  " 

She  glanced  up  at  him,  and  the  words  which 
she  had  prepared  died  away  on  her  lips.  She  led 
the  way  quite  meekly  to  where  their  chairs  re- 
mained side  by  side. 

'  We  will  sit  down  if  you  like,  for  a  short  time," 
she  said,  hesitatingly.  "  I  cannot  stay  long.  I 
still  have  a  good  deal  of  packing  to  do." 

He  did  not  answer  until  he  had  arranged  her 
rug  and  made  her  comfortable.  It  was  the  last 
few  hours  of  their  voyage.  Facing  them  they 
could  see  in  the  distance  the  lights  of  Wales. 
Next  morning  would  see  them  in  dock. 

"  I  will  not  keep  you  very  long,"  he  said,  draw- 
ing his  chair  quite  close  to  hers,  so  that  they  could 
not  be  overheard,  "  but  I  insist  upon  knowing 
why  for  the  last  twenty-four  hours  you  have  done 
nothing  but  avoid  me  ?  I  have  not  offended  you 
in  any  way,  have  I  ?  " 

"No!"  she  answered,  looking  steadily  away 
at  the  lights,  "  you  know  that  you  have  not." 


"WILL  YOU  MARRY  ME  "       147 

"  On  the  contrary,"  he  continued,  "  I  have 
done  what  little  I  could  to  make  the  voyage  more 
endurable  to  you.  Of  course  I  know  the  pleasure 
of  your  society  more  than  compensated  me  for 
any  little  services  I  have  been  able  to  render,  but 
still  I  have  done  nothing  to  deserve  this  altered 
treatment  from  you,  and  I  am  determined  to 
know  what  it  means." 

'  You  are  exaggerating  trifles,"  she  said  coldly. 
"  I  have  felt  nervous  and  depressed  all  day,  and 
I  did  not  care  to  talk  to  any  one.     I  have  not 
avoided  you  more  than  anybody  else." 
'  That,"  he  answered,  "  is  not  true." 

She  turned  slowly  round  till  he  could  see  her 
face,  still  and  pale  and  cold,  almost,  it  seemed  to 
him,  luminously  white  in  the  heavy  darkness  of 
the  moonless  hour. 

'  You  can  contradict  me  if  you  choose,"  she 
said,  "  but  you  can  scarcely  expect  me  to  sit  here 
and  listen  to  you." 

He  leaned  a  little  closer,  and  she  suddenly  felt 
her  hand  clasped  in  his. 

''  Virginia,"  he  said,  —  "  yes,  I  mean  it  — 
Virginia,  don't  be  unkind  to  me,  our  last  night. 
You  know  very  well  that  it  hurts  me  to  have  you 
speak  and  look  at  me  so.  Besides,  we  are  going 
to  be  friends;  you  promised  me  that, you  know." 

"  If  I  did,"  she  answered,  "  it  was  very  foolish. 
Friends  means  the  giving  and  taking  of  confi- 
dences, and  I  have  none  to  give.  I  am  going  to 


148  THE  GOVERNORS 

do  strange  things,  and  in  an  odd  way,  and  I  have 
no  explanations  to  offer.  If  I  had  friends,  they 
would  think  that  I  had  taken  leave  of  my  senses, 
and  they  would  want  me  to  explain.  That  is 
just  what  I  cannot  do.  That  is  why  I  am  sure  it 
would  be  better  if  you  would  let  me  alone." 

"  I  shall  not  do  that,"  he  answered  firmly.  "  I 
am  not  a  morbidly  curious  person,  nor  do  I  want 
to  pry  into  your  affairs,  but  I  cannot  help  feeling 
that  you  are  in  some  sort  of  trouble,  and  that  it 
would  be  good  for  you,  in  a  strange  country,  to 
have  some  one  on  whose  help  you  could  rely  in 
case  of  need." 

'  You  mean  well,  I  know,"  she  answered, 
"  but  you  are  asking  impossibilities.  If  you 
should  happen  to  come  across  me  over  here,  you 
will  understand  what  I  mean.  I  am  going  to  do 
things  which  very  likely  you  would  be  ashamed 
to  think  that  any  friend  of  yours  would  do." 

He  turned  upon  her  a  little  angrily. 

"  Child,"  he  said,  "  if  I  weren't  so  fond  of  you  I 
think  you  would  make  me  lose  my  temper.  How 
old  are  you  ?  " 

"  Nineteen,"  she  answered,  "  but  it  isn't  any 
business  of  yours." 

"No  business  of  mine!"  he  repeated. 
"  Heavens!  Isn't  it  the  business  of  any  man  to 
look  after  a  child  like  you  ?  Nineteen  years  old, 
indeed,  and  most  of  them  spent  in  a  farmhouse! 
How  do  you  know  that  these  things  which  you 


"ISN'T    IT    THE    BUSINESS    OF    ANY    MAN    TO    LOOK    AFTER    A    CHILD 

LIKE  YOU  ?  "     Page  148 


"WILL  YOU  MARRY  ME"       149 

talk  about  doing  are  right  or  necessary  ?  Don't 
you  see  you  are  not  old  enough  to  be  a  judge  of 
the  serious  things  of  life  ?  You  want  some  one 
to  take  care  of  you,  Virginia.  Will  you  marry 
me  ?  " 

"  Will  I  what  ?  "  she  gasped. 
'  Wasn't  I  explicit  enough  ?"  he  asked.     "  I 
said  marry  me." 

She  would  have  risen  from  her  chair,  but  he 
calmly  took  her  arm  and  drew  her  down  again. 

"  I  will  not  stay  here,"  she  declared,  "  and  hear 
you  talk  such  rubbish." 

"  It  is  not  rubbish,"  he  answered,  "  but  I  will 
admit  that  I  should  not  have  said  anything  about 
it  yet,  if  it  had  not  been  for  your  vague  threats  of 
what  you  were  going  to  do.  Virginia,"  he  added, 
dropping  his  voice  almost  to  a  whisper,  "  you 
know  that  I  am  fond  of  you.  I  have  been  fond 
of  you  ever  since  I  first  saw  you  here." 

"  Six  days  ago,"  she  murmured  drearily. 

"  Six  days  or  six  weeks,  it's  all  the  same,"  he 
declared.  "  I  wasn't  going  to  say  anything  just 
yet,  but  I  can't  bear  the  thought  of  leaving  you 
at  Liverpool,  in  a  strange  country,  and  without 
any  friends.  Be  sensible,  dear,  and  tell  me  all 
about  it  later  on.  First  of  all,  I  want  my  answer." 

"  Is    that    necessary  ?"     she    replied    quietly. 
"  Even  in  America,  we  don't  promise  to  marry 
people  whom  we  have  known  but  six  days." 

'*  Wait  until  you  have  known  me  longer,  then," 


150  THE  GOVERNORS 

he  answered,  "  but  give  me  at  least  the  chance  of 
knowing  you.'* 

"  You  are  a  very  foolish  person,"  she  said,  a 
little  more  kindly.  '  You  do  not  know  who  I  am, 
or  anything  about  me.  Some  day  or  other  you  will 
be  very  glad  that  I  did  not  take  advantage  of 
your  kindness." 

"  You  think  that  I  ask  you  this,"  he  said,  "  be- 
cause I  am  sorry  for  you  ?  " 

"  I  don't  want  to  think  about  it  at  all,"  she 
answered,  rising.  "  I  am  not  going  to  sit  here 
any  longer.  We  will  walk  a  while,  if  you  like." 

They  paced  together  up  and  down  the  deck. 
She  asked  him  questions  about  the  lights,  the 
landing  at  Liverpool,  the  train  service  to  London, 
and  she  kept  always  very  near  to  one  of  the  other 
promenading  couples.  At  last  she  stopped  before 
the  companion-way,  and  held  out  her  hand. 

"  This  must  be  our  good  night,"  she  said, 
"  and  good-bye  if  I  do  not  see  anything  of  you 
in  the  morning.  I  suppose  it  will  be  a  terrible 
crush  getting  on  shore." 

"  It  will  not  be  good-bye,"  he  said,  "  because 
however  great  the  rush  is  I  shall  see  you  in  the 
morning.  As  for  the  rest,  you  have  been  very 
unkind  to  me  to-night,  but  I  can  wait.  London 
is  not  a  large  place.  I  dare  say  we  shall  meet 
again." 

The  look  in  her  eyes  puzzled  him  no  less  than 
her  words. 


"WILL  YOU  MARRY  ME"       151 

"Oh!  I  hope  not,"  she  said  fervently.  "I 
don't  want  to  meet  any  one  in  London  except 
one  person.  Good  night,  Mr.  Mildmay!  " 

He  turned  away,  and  almost  ran  into  the  arms  of 
Littleson,  who  had  been  watching  them  curiously. 

"  Come  and  have  a  drink,"  the  latter  said. 

The  two  men  made  their  way  to  the  smoking 
room.  Littleson  lit  a  cigarette  as  he  sipped  his 
whisky  and  soda. 

"  Charming  young  lady,  Miss  Longworth," 
he  remarked  nonchalantly. 

Mildmay  agreed,  but  his  acquiescence  was 
stiff,  and  a  little  abrupt.  He  would  have  changed 
the  subject,  but  Littleson  was  curious. 

"  Can't  understand,"  he  said,  "  what  she's 
doing  crossing  over  here  alone.  I  saw  her  the 
first  day  out.  She  came  and  asked  me,  in  fact,  to 
forget  that  I  had  ever  seen  her  before.  Queer 
thing,  very!  " 

Mildmay  deliberately  set  down  his  glass. 

"  Do  you  mind,"  he  said,  "  if  we  don't  discuss 
it  ?  I  fancy  that  Miss  Longworth  has  her  own 
reasons  for  wishing  not  to  be  talked  about,  and  in 
any  case  a  smoking-room  is  scarcely  the  proper 
place  to  discuss  her.  I  think  I  will  go  to  bed,  if 
you  don't  mind." 

Littleson  shrugged  his  shoulders  as  the  English- 
man disappeared. 

"  Touchy  lot,  these  Britishers,"  he  remarked. 


CHAPTER  IV 

THE   AMERICAN   AMBASSADOR 

/CONVERSATION  had  begun  to  languish 
^•^  between  the  two  men.  Vine  had  answered 
all  his  host's  inquiries  about  old  friends  and 
acquaintances  on  the  other  side,  inquiries  at  first 
eager,  then  more  spasmodic,  until  at  last  they 
were  interspersed  with  brief  periods  of  silence. 
And  all  the  time  Vine  had  said  nothing  as  to  the 
real  object  of  his  visit.  Obviously  he  had  come 
with  something  to  say;  almost  as  obviously  he 
seemed  to  find  a  certain  difficulty  in  approaching 
the  subject.  It  was  his  host,  after  all,  who  paved 
the  way. 

'  Tell  me,  Vine,"  he  said,  knocking  the  ash 
from  his  cigar,  and  leaning  a  little  forward  in  his 
chair,  "  what  has  brought  you  to  London  just 
now.  It  was  only  a  fortnight  ago  that  I  heard 
you  were  up  to  your  neck  in  work,  and  had  no 
hopes  of  leaving  New  York  before  the  autumn." 

Vine  nodded. 

"  I  thought  so  then,"  he  said  quietly.  '  The 
fact  is,  something  has  happened  which  brought 
me  over  here  with  one  object,  and  one  object 
only  —  to  ask  your  advice.  " 


THE  AMERICAN  AMBASSADOR    153 

The  elder  man  nodded,  and  if  he  felt  any 
surprise,  successfully  concealed  it.  Even  then 
Vine  still  hesitated. 

"  It's  a  difficult  matter,"  he  said,  "  and  a  very 
important  one.  I  have  thought  it  out  myself  from 
every  point  of  view,  and  I  came  to  the  conclusion 
that  it  would  be  better  for  me  to  come  over  to 
Europe  for  a  week  or  two,  and  change  my  en- 
vironment completely.  Besides,  I  believe  that 
you  are  the  one  man  whom  I  can  rely  upon  to 
give  me  sound  and  practical  advice." 

"  It  does  not  concern,"  the  other  asked,  "  my 
diplomatic  position  in  any  way  ?  " 

"  Not  in  the  least,"  Vine  answered.  '  You 
see  it  is  something  like  this.  You  know  that 
since  I  became  editor  and  part  proprietor  of  the 
Post  I  have  tried  to  take  up  a  strong  position 
with  regard  to  our  modern  commercial  methods." 

*  You  mean,"  his  host  interrupted,  "  that  you 
have  taken  sides  against  the  Trusts  ?  " 

"  Exactly!  "  Vine  answered.  "  Of  course, 
from  a  money-making  point  of  view  I  know  that 
it  was  a  mistake.  The  paper  scarcely  pays  its 
way  now,  and  I  seem  to  find  enemies  wherever  I 
turn,  and  in  whatever  way  I  seek  to  develop  it  as 
a  proprietor.  However,  we  have  held  our  own 
so  far,  although  I  don't  mind  telling  you  that  we 
have  been  hard  pushed.  Well,  a  few  days  before 
I  left  New  York  there  came  into  my  hands,  I 
won't  say  how,  a  most  extraordinary  document. 


154  THE  GOVERNORS 

Of  course,  you  know  within  the  last  few  months 
the  Trusts  have  provoked  an  enmity  far  greater 
and  more  dangerous  than  mine." 

His  host  nodded. 

"  I  should  say  so,"  he  answered.  "  I  am  told 
that  you  are  going  to  see  very  exciting  times  over 
there." 

'  The  first  step,"  Vine  continued,  "  has  already 
been  taken.  There  is  a  bill  coming  before  the 
Senate  very  shortly,  which,  if  it  is  passed  into  law, 
will  strike  at  the  very  foundation  of  all  these  great 
corporations.  Five  of  the  men  most  likely  to  be 
affected  met  together  one  night,  and  four  of  them 
signed  a  document,  guaranteeing  a  fund  of  one 
million  dollars  for  the  purpose  of  bribing  certain 
members  of  the  Senate,  who  had  already  been 
approached,  and  whose  names  are  also  upon  the 
document.  You  must  not  ask  me  how  or  in  what 
manner,  but  that  document  has  come  into  my 
possession." 

Vine's  companion  looked  at  him  in  astonish- 
ment. 

"  Are  you  sure  of  your  facts,  Vine  ?  "  he  asked. 
"  Are  you  sure  that  the  thing  is  not  a  forgery  ?  " 

"  Absolutely  certain !  "  Vine  answered. 

"  Then  you  know,  of  course,"  his  host  con- 
tinued, "  that  you  hold  all  these  men  in  the  hollow 
of  your  hand." 

'  Yes,  I  know  it,"  Vine  answered,  "  and  so  do 
they!  They  have  offered  me  a  million  dollars 


THE  AMERICAN  AMBASSADOR  155 

already  for  the  document,  but  I  have  declined  to 
sell.  While  I  considered  what  to  do,  I  thought 
it  better,  for  more  reasons  than  one,  that  I  did  not 
remain  in  New  York." 

"  I  should  say  so,"  the  other  remarked  softly. 
"  This  is  a  big  thing,  Vine.  I  could  have 
scarcely  realized  it." 

He  rose  to  his  feet,  and  took  a  few  quick  steps 
backwards  and  forwards.  The  two  men  were 
sitting  in  wicker  chairs  on  a  small  flat  space  on  the 
roof  of  the  American  Embassy  in  Ormonde 
Square.  Vine's  host,  tall,  with  shrewd,  kindly 
face,  the  stoop  of  a  student,  and  the  short  uneven 
footsteps  of  a  near-sighted  man,  was  the  am- 
bassador himself.  He  had  been  more  famous, 
perhaps,  in  his  younger  days,  as  Philip  Deane, 
the  man  of  letters,  than  as  a  diplomatist.  His 
appointment  to  London  had  so  far  been  a  com- 
plete success.  He  had  shown  himself  possessed 
of  shrewd  and  far-reaching  common  sense,  for 
which  few  save  those  who  had  known  him  well, 
like  Norris  Vine,  had  given  him  credit.  He 
stood  now  with  his  back  to  Vine,  looking  down 
across  the  Square  below,  glittering  with  lights 
aflame  with  the  busy  night  life  of  the  great  city. 
The  jingle  of  hansom  bells,  and  the  distant  roar 
of  traffic  down  one  of  the  great  thoroughfares, 
was  never  out  of  their  ears;  but  in  this  place,  cut 
off  from  the  house  by  the  trap-door  through  which 
they  had  climbed,  it  was  cooler  by  far  than  the 


156  THE  GOVERNORS 

smoking-room,  which  they  had  deserted  half  an 
hour  before. 

For  some  reason  Deane  seemed  to  wish  to  let 
the  subject  rest  for  a  moment.  He  stood  close 
to  the  little  parapet,  looking  towards  the  horizon, 
watching  the  dull  glare  of  lights,  whose  concen- 
trated reflection  was  thrown  upon  a  bank  of  heavy 
cloudc. 

"  You  have  not  told  me,  Norris,"  he  remarked, 
"what  you  think  of  my  attempted  roof-garden." 

"  It  is  cool,  at  any  rate,"  Norris  Vine  answered. 
"  I  wonder  why  one  always  feels  the  heat  more  in 
London  than  anywhere  else  in  the  world." 

"  It  is  because  they  have  been  so  unaccustomed 
to  it  over  here  that  they  have  made  no  prepara- 
tions to  cope  with  it,"  Deane  answered.  '  Then 
think  of  the  size  of  the  place!  What  miles  of 
pavements,  and  wildernesses  of  slate  roofs,  to 
attract  the  sun  and  keep  out  the  fresh  air.  Vine, 
who  are  these  men  ?"  he  asked,  turning  towards 
him  abruptly. 

Norris  Vine  smiled. 

"  Don't  you  think,"  he  said,  "  that  you  can  give 
me  your  advice  better  if  you  do  not  know  ?  I 
can  tell  you  this,  at  any  rate.  They  are  men  who 
deserve  whatever  may  happen  to  them.  They 
are  not  of  your  world,  my  friend.  They  are  the 
men  who  have  sucked  the  life-blood  out  of  many 
and  many  a  prosperous  town-village  in  our 
country.  Don't  think  that  I  heskat?  for  one 


THE  AMERICAN  AMBASSADOR  157 

moment  for  their  sakes.  I  tell  you  frankly  that 
my  first  idea  was  to  give  the  whole  thing  away 
in  the  Post." 

"  It  would  have  been,"  Deane  remarked,  with 
a  faint  smile,  "  the  biggest  journalistic  scoop  of 
the  century." 

Vine  nodded. 

"  Well,"  he  said,  "  I  should  have  done  it  but 
for  one  man's  advice.  It  was  John  Drayton  who 
showed  me  what  the  other  side  of  the  thing  might 
be.  He  pointed  out  that  the  innocent  would 
suffer  for  the  guilty,  in  fact  hundreds,  perhaps 
thousands,  of  the  innocent,  would  be  ruined  that 
these  few  men  might  be  punished.  It  was  his 
belief  that  the  publication  of  this  document,  and 
the  arrest  of  the  men  concerned  in  it,  would  cause 
the  worst  panic  that  had  ever  been  known  in 
America.  That  is  why  I  stayed  my  hand  and 
came  over  here  to  consult  you." 

The  ambassador  sighed,  as  he  resumed  his 
seat  and  lit  another  cigar. 

"  Drayton  was  right,"  he  remarked  softly. 
'  He  is  a  man  of  common  sense,  and  yet  we  must 
remember  that  great  reforms  are  never  instituted 
without  sacrifices.  Could  the  country  stand  such 
a  sacrifice  as  this  ?  It  is  not  a  matter  to  be  de- 
cided in  a  moment." 

'  There  is  no  need  for  haste,"  Vine  answered. 
"  I  have  the  document  with  me,  and  I  do  not 
mean  to  do  anything  in  a  hurry.  Think  it  all 


158  THE  GOVERNORS 

over,  Deane,  and  tell  me  when  I  may  come  and 
see  you  again." 

'*  Whenever  you  will,"  the  ambassador  an- 
swered, heartily.  "  You  know  very  well  that  I 
am  always  glad  to  see  you.  By  the  by,  do  you 
carry  this  document  about  with  you  ?  " 

Vine  shook  his  head. 

"  No!  "  he  answered  drily.  "  I  have  too  much 
regard  for  my  personal  safety.  The  men  whose 
names  are  there  are  fairly  desperate,  and  they 
would  not  stick  at  a  trifle  to  get  rid  of  me." 

"  You  are  very  wise,"  Deane  answered.  "  I 
should  take  care  even  over  here.  I  have  heard  of 
strange  things  happening  in  London.  Oh,  that 
reminds  me.  A  young  lady  was  here  only  two 
days  ago,  asking  for  your  address." 

"  Did  she  leave  her  name  ?  "  Vine  asked,  with 
a  faint  curiosity. 

"  I  think  not,"  the  ambassador  answered. 
"  Wolfe  saw  her,  and  I  asked  him  the  question 
particularly." 

"  I  cannot  imagine  whom  she  could  have  been," 
Vine  said,  thoughtfully.  "  I  have  not  many 
acquaintances  over  here." 

"  Another  man  who  was  asking  after  you," 
Deane  remarked,  "  was  Littleson.  He  was 
dining  here  last  night." 

Vine  smiled. 

"  I  can  imagine,"  he  said,  "  his  being  curious 
as  to  my  whereabouts.  I  have  taken  rooms 


THE  AMERICAN  AMBASSADOR  159 

where  I  don't  think  any  one  is  likely  to  find  me 
out  except  by  accident." 

Deane  rose. 

"  I  think,"  he  said,  "  we  had  better  go  down- 
stairs. The  ladies  will  be  wondering  what  has 
become  of  us.  My  wife  is  expecting  a  young 
woman  in  this  evening  whom  I  think  you  know  — 
Stella  Duge." 

Vine  started  slightly. 

'  Yes,"  he  said,  "  I  have  met  Miss  Duge  often 
in  New  York." 


CHAPTER  V 

A    QUESTION    OF    COURAGE 

OTELLA  turned  towards  him  with  a  slight 
^  frown  upon  her  forehead. 

"  Do  you  mean,  Norris,  then,  that  after  all  you 
will  not  use  your  power  over  these  men,  that  you 
will  let  them  go  free  ?  " 

"  Not  if  I  can  help  it,"  he  answered,  "  but 
there  are  many  things  to  be  considered.  I  shall 
be  guided  largely  by  what  Deane  advises." 

"  It  is  absurd,"  she  declared.  "  You  have 
wanted  money  all  your  life,  money  and  power. 
You  have  both  now  in  your  grasp.  If  you  do  not 
use  them,  I  shall  think " 

She  hesitated.  He  shrugged  his  shoulders 
slightly. 

"Go  on!  "he  said. 

"  I  shall  think  that  you  are  a  coward,"  she 
said  quietly.  "  I  shall  think  that  you  are  afraid 
to  use  what  I  risked  —  well,  a  great  deal  —  to 
win  for  you." 

"  It  isn't  a  question  of  courage,"  he  protested. 

"  It  is,"  she  answered.  "  You  are  afraid  to  do 
what  in  your  heart  you  must  know  is  the  right 
thing,  because  for  a  year  or  two,  perhaps  even 


A  QUESTION  OF  COURAGE      161 

a  decade  of  years,  it  will  mean  a  great  upheaval. 
The  end  must  be  good.  I  am  sure  of  it." 

"  If  Deane  and  I,"  he  answered,  "  can  also 
convince  ourselves  of  this,  I  shall  act.  You  need 
not  be  afraid  of  that." 

"  Deane  and  you!  "  she  repeated,  contemptu- 
ously. "  Who  am  I,  then,  in  your  counsels  ? 
Just  a  puppet,  I  suppose  ?  Anyhow,  it  was  I 
who  ran  the  risk,  I  who  gave  these  men  into  your 
hands.  If  you  play  the  poltroon,  everything  is 
over  between  us,  Norris." 

He  raised  his  eyes  and  looked  at  her  in  half- 
unwilling  admiration.  She  and  their  hostess  had 
come  out  on  to  the  roof,  just  as  the  two  men  had 
been  in  the  act  of  descending.  A  telephone  call 
a  few  moments  later  had  summoned  Deane  away, 
and  his  wife,  who  found  the  air  a  little  chilly,  had 
accompanied  him.  Stella  was  standing  with  her 
head  thrown  back,  her  figure  tall  and  splendid  in 
her  evening  gown  of  white  satin,  thrown  into  vivid 
relief  against  the  background  of  empty  air.  She 
was  angry,  and  the  pose  suited  her.  The  slight 
hardness  of  her  expression  was  lost  in  the  dim  blue 
twilight  which  still  waited  for  the  moon.  Vine, 
an  unemotional  man,  felt  with  a  curious  strength 
the  charm  of  this  isolation  on  the  housetop,  this 
tranquillity,  so  much  more  suggestive  of  solitude 
than  anything  which  could  be  realized  within  the 
walls  of  a  room.  He  shivered  a  little  when  he  saw 
how  close  she  was  to  the  low  parapet,  and  he  held 


162  THE  GOVERNORS 

out  his  hand.  She  took  it  at  once,  and  her  face 
softened. 

"  Dear  Norris,"  she  said,  "  forgive  me  if  I  am 
disagreeable,  but  think  what  I  went  through  to 
get  that  paper.  Think  how  I  have  hoped  that 
it  might  mean  everything  to  you,  perhaps  to  us." 

She  faltered,  and  it  was  in  his  mind  then  to 
speak  the  words  which  she  had  waited  so  long 
to  hear  from  him,  and  yet  he  hesitated.  He  was 
a  man  who  loved  his  freedom,  not  perhaps  in  the 
ordinary  sense  of  the  word,  but  he  had  still  an 
almost  passionate  objection  to  lessening  in  any 
degree  his  individual  hold  upon  life,  to  giving  any 
one  else  a  permanent  right  to  share  its  struggles 
and  its  ambitions.  He  owed  it  to  her,  he  was 
very  sure  of  that,  and  yet  he  hesitated.  She  bent 
towards  him.  Perhaps  she  too  felt  that  the  mo- 
ment was  one  not  likely  to  be  let  go. 

"  Norris,"  she  said,  "  don't  listen  to  Deane  or 
any  of  them.  Strike  your  blow.  Your  paper 
will  become  famous.  Trust  to  that  for  your  re- 
ward if  you  will.  If  not  a  child,  you  could  use  your 
knowledge  of  what  will  happen  on  the  morning 
of  its  appearance  to  make  a  fortune.  Do  you 
know  I  have  grown  to  hate  those  men  ?  If  my 
father  goes  too,  I  do  not  care.  I  owe  him  very 
little,  and  I  have  had  enough  of  luxury.  There  is 
more  to  be  got  out  of  a  cottage  in  Italy  or  Switzer- 
land, or  even  in  England  here,  than  a  mansion  in 
our  country.  I  wish  I  could  convert  you." 


A  QUESTION  OF  COURAGE      163 

He  shrugged  his  shoulders. 

"  It  is  different  with  us,"  he  said.  "  A  man 
must  be  where  life  is.  I  do  not  think  that  I 
could  ever  be  content  with  idleness." 

"  And  yet  when  it  comes,"  she  reminded  him, 
"  you  love  it.  Who  was  it  who  spent  a  year  in 
some  little  village  near  the  Carpathians,  and  had 
almost  to  be  dragged  back  to  civilization  ?  Norris, 
sometimes  I  think  that  you  are  a  poseur." 

He  looked  down  into  the  street.  A  carriage 
had  driven  up,  and  was  waiting  at  the  door  below. 

"  We  must  go  down,"  he  said.  "  Mrs.  Deane 
said  ten  minutes,  and  they  are  more  than  up.  You 
see  the  carriage  is  waiting  there  to  take  you  to  the 
Opera." 

She  turned  away  reluctantly. 

"  Come  with  us,"  she  begged,  "  or  give  us 
some  supper  afterwards.  Mrs.  Deane  would 
like  that." 

"I'll  meet  you  afterwards,"  he  said.  "  I  am  not 
in  the  mood  for  music  to-night." 

"  Very  well,"  she  answered.  "  If  Mrs.  Deane 
doesn't  care  about  supper  you  can  drive  me  home. 
Our  talks  always  seem  to  be  interrupted,  and 
there  is  so  much  I  want  to  say  to  you." 

In  the  lobby  of  Covent  Garden  he  met  Little- 
son,  who  had  paused  to  light  a  cigarette  on  his 
way  out.  He  stepped  forward  and  addressed 
Vine  eagerly. 

"  I  was  trying  to  find  you  only  this  afternoon," 


164  THE  GOVERNORS 

he  said.     "  Can  you  come  around  to  the  club 
with  me  now,  and  have  a  talk  ?  " 

"  Sorry,"  Vine  answered.  "  I  am  here  to  meet 
some  friends  who  will  be  out  directly." 

*  Will  you  lunch  with  me  to-morrow  ?  "  Little- 
son  asked. 

"No!"  Vine  answered.  "To  tell  you  the 
truth,  nothing  would  induce  me  to  accept  any 
hospitality  at  your  hands." 

'  You  have  made  up  your  mind,  then  ? " 
Littleson  asked  slowly. 

"  Never  mind  about  that,"  Vine  answered. 
"  I  have  said  all  that  I  have  to  say  to  you  and 
your  friends." 

Littleson  laid  his  hand  for  a  moment  upon  the 
other's  shoulder. 

"  Look  here,  Vine,"  he  said,  "you're  what  I  call 
a  crank  of  the  first  order,  but  you  are  not  a  bad 
chap,  and  I'd  hate  to  see  you  make  the  mistake 
of  your  life.  Weiss  and  the  others  are  not  the 
sort  of  men  to  take  an  attack  such  as  you  threaten, 
sitting  down.  You  take  my  advice  and  leave  it 
alone.  Come  round  to  my  rooms,  and  we'll  make 
a  bargain  of  it.  I  can  promise  you  that  you'll 
never  need  to  go  back  to  America  tomake  dollars." 

"  Life  isn't  all  a  matter  of  dollars,"  Vine  an- 
swered contemptuously.  "  There  are  other  things 
worth  thinking  about.  If  I  strike  at  you  and 
your  friends,  it  is  not  for  the  money  or  the  noto- 
riety I  could  make  out  of  it.  It  is  because  I  want 


A  QUESTION  OF  COURAGE      165 

to  attack  a  villainous  system,  because  I  consider 
that  you  and  Weiss  and  the  rest  of  you  are  really 
doing  your  best  to  throttle  the  greatest  country 
on  God's  earth." 

'  Well,"  Littleson  said,  "  I  have  warned  you. 
You  are  a  crank,  and  a  foolish  one  at  that.  You 
are  going  about  asking  for  trouble,  and  I  think 
you  will  find  it.  If  you  change  your  mind,  come 
to  me  at  Claridge's." 

He  walked  away,  and  Vine  turned  to  greet  Mrs. 
Deane  and  Stella,  who  were  just  coming  out. 
Stella,  whose  eyes  were  still  bright  with  the  ex- 
citement of  the  music,  laid  her  hand  for  a  moment 
softly  in  his. 

'  Where  are  you  taking  us  for  supper  ?  "  she 
answered. 

'  To  the  Carlton,  or  anywhere  you  choose," 
he  answered.  "  Let  me  find  the  carriage  first." 

Mrs.  Deane  held  up  her  finger,  and  a  tall  foot- 
man, touching  his  hat,  hurried  away. 

'  James  has  seen  us,"  she  said.  '  The  car- 
riage will  be  here  in  a  moment.  I  am  going  to 
speak  to  Lady  Engelton.  Will  you  look  after 
Stella  for  a  moment,  Mr.  Vine  ?  " 

She  turned  away  to  speak  to  a  little  group  of 
people  who  were  standing  in  one  of  the  entrances. 
Stella  and  Vine  stepped  outside  to  escape  the 
crush,  and  Stella  suddenly  seized  his  arm. 

"  Look  in  that  hansom,"  she  said,  pointing 
out  to  the  street. 


166  THE  GOVERNORS 

Vine's  eyes  followed  her  finger.  He  recognized 
Littleson,  and  with  him  a  man  in  morning  clothes 
and  low  hat,  a  man  whose  face  seemed  familiar 
to  him,  but  whom  he  failed  to  recognize. 

"  I  think,"  she  said,  drawing  a  little  closer  to 
him,  "  that  you  must  not  hesitate  any  longer,  if 
ever  you  mean  to  strike  that  blow.  You  saw 
Peter  Littleson." 

'  Yes!  "  he  answered,  "  I  have  been  talking  to 
him." 

"  Do  you  know  who  that  was  with  him  ?  " 

Vine  shook  his  head. 

"  I  can't  remember,"  he  said. 

"  That  is  Dan  Prince,"  she  whispered.  "  You 
know  who  he  is.  They  call  him  the  most  dan- 
gerous criminal  unhanged.  I  should  like  to  know 
what  Littleson  wants  with  him." 

Vine  smiled  a  little  grimly,  as  he  stepped  for- 
ward to  help  Mrs.  Deane  into  the  carriage. 

"  I  think,"  he  murmured,  "  I  can  guess." 


CHAPTER  VI 

MR.    MILD  MAY  AGAIN 

TT  was  her  third  day  in  London,  and  Virginia 
•*•  was  discouraged.  Neither  at  the  Embassy 
nor  at  his  club  had  she  been  able  to  obtain  any 
tidings  of  the  man  of  whom  she  was  in  search. 
There  remained  only  a  list  of  places  given  her  in 
New  York  by  his  servant,  where  he  was  likely  to 
be  met.  She  went  through  them  conscientiously, 
but  without  the  slightest  success.  Gradually  she 
began  to  realize  the  difficulty,  perhaps  the  hope- 
lessness, of  her  task.  To  find  the  man  in  London 
with  such  scanty  information  as  she  possessed 
was  difficult  enough,  and  there  remained  the 
question,  as  yet  unanswered  in  her  thoughts,  as 
to  what  she  would  say  or  do  if  chance  ever  should 
bring  them  face  to  face. 

Her  experiences  in  those  days  became  almost  a 
nightmare  to  her.  Dressed  always  in  her  quietest 
clothes,  and  with  her  natural  reserve  of  manner 
intensified  by  the  circumstances  in  which  she 
found  herself,  she  was  yet  more  than  once  su- 
premely uncomfortable.  She  became  used  to 
the  doubtful  looks  of  the  waiters  to  whom  she 
presented  herself  and  asked  for  a  table  alone,  at 


168  THE  GOVERNORS 

the  different  restaurants  on  her  list.  She  found 
herself  often  at  such  times  the  only  unescorted 
woman  in  the  place,  and  the  cynosure  of  a  good 
many  curious  glances.  Even  when  there  were 
other  women,  they  were  of  a  class  which  she 
instinctively  recognized,  and  from  whom  she 
shrank.  But  of  actual  adventures  she  had  few. 
Apart  from  the  fact  of  her  appearing  alone,  there 
was  nothing  in  her  manner  to  invite  attention. 

There  came  a  day,  however,  when  she  found 
herself  suddenly  plunged  into  the  midst  of  more 
exciting  events.  She  was  sitting  one  afternoon 
in  a  cafe  in  Regent  Street,  at  a  table  near  the  door, 
whence  she  could  watch  every  one  who  came 
and  went.  Exactly  behind  her  were  two  men, 
both  strangers  to  her,  who  had  been  talking  in 
low  tones  ever  since  her  entrance.  Her  attention 
had  been  in  no  way  attracted  to  them,  and  it  was 
only  by  chance  that  she  suddenly  caught  the  name 
of  Norris  Vine. 

Her  heart  gave  a  little  beat.  It  was  only  by  a 
strong  exercise  of  will  that  she  forbore  to  turn 
round.  She  pushed  her  chair  a  little  further 
backwards,  saying  something  to  the  waiter  about 
a  draught,  and  taking  up  a  French  newspaper 
which  some  one  had  left  behind,  she  listened 
intently.  All  that  she  could  remember  of  the 
men  was  that  one  was  small,  clean-shaven,  very 
neatly  dressed,  and  having  rather  the  appearance 
of  an  American;  and  that  the  other  was  a  larger 


MR.  MILDMAY  AGAIN  169 

and  more  florid  man,  with  red  face  and  burly 
shoulders.  It  was  apparently  the  former  who 
was  speaking. 

"  It  is  a  matter  of  five  thousand  pounds,"  she 
heard  him  say,  "  that  is  to  say,  two  thousand  five 
hundred  pounds  each,  and  it  can  be  done  without 
risk.  The  man  is  little  known  here,  and  has  few 
friends.  He  has  rooms  in  a  flat  to  which  there  is 
plenty  of  access,  two  lifts  on  each  floor  and  sepa- 
rate exits,  and  he  lives  quite  alone." 

"Two  thousand  five  hundred  pounds!"  the 
other  man  uttered.  "  It  sounds  well,  but " 

Then  his  voice  dropped,  and  she  could  hear 
nothing  else  for  a  minute  or  two.  She  called  a 
waiter  and  ordered  something,  she  scarcely  knew 
what.  The  voices  behind  had  sunk  lower  and 
lower.  She  could  hear  nothing  at  all  now,  but 
she  gathered  that  the  smaller  man  was  pressing 
some  enterprise  upon  the  other,  and  that  his  com- 
panion, although  inclined  to  accept,  found  diffi- 
culties. She  waited  for  a  little  time,  and  presently 
she  began  again  to  catch  odd  scraps  of  the  con- 
versation. 

"  Of  course,"  she  heard  the  smaller  man  say, 
"  if  we  had  him  in  New  York  the  thing  would  be 
absolutely  easy.  It  is  probably  because  he  knows 
that,  that  he  came  over  here." 

"  He  knows  he  is  in  danger,  then  ?  "  the  other 
voice  asked. 

"  He  knows  that  he  carries  his  life  in  his  hand," 


170  THE  GOVERNORS 

was  the  answer.  "  He  must  know  that  he  has 
done  so  since  a  few  days  before  he  sailed  for 
Europe.  He  is  being  watched  the  whole  of  the 
time,  and  from  what  I  have  seen,  I  should  say 
his  nerves  were  beginning  to  give  way  a  little 
under  the  strain." 

The  other  man  muttered  something  which  she 
could  not  hear. 

"  It  is  not  your  concern  or  mine,"  his  com- 
panion answered.  "  He  has  chosen  to  court 
the  enmity  of  some  of  the  most  powerful  men  in 
America,  and  it  is  his  own  fault  if  he  suffers  for 
it.  He  has  been  playing  a  pretty  big  game,  but 
he  doesn't  hold  quite  all  the  cards." 

There  were  more  questions  and  answers,  all 
unintelligible.  She  pushed  her  chair  a  little 
farther  back,  still  apparently  without  awakening 
their  suspicions,  and  then  at  last  she  heard  some- 
thing more  definite. 

"  No.  57,  Coniston  Mansions.  It  is  absolutely 
easy  to  get  in.  Nearly  every  one  in  the  flats  is 
connected  with  the  stage,  and  they  are  almost 
deserted  between  half-past  seven  and  eleven. 
To-night  we  know  his  movements  exactly.  He 
will  dine  at  his  club,  and  return  some  time  before 
eleven  to  change,  as  he  is  going  to  a  reception  at 
the  American  Embassy." 

*'  To-night  is  too  soon,"  she  heard  the  other 
man  say.  "  I  must  have  time  to  look  about  the 
place.  I  want  to  understand  exactly  where  the 


MR.  MILDMAY  AGAIN  171 

risks  are,  and  the  easiest  way  to  leave  without 
being  noticed.  There  are  a  lot  of  small  things 
like  that  to  be  considered,  if  the  matter  is  to  be 
done  artistically." 

"  Every  day's  delay  is  dangerous,"  the  smaller 
man  said,  doubtfully.  "  Look  here,  Dick.  It's 
a  lot  of  money,  and  the  offer  may  be  withdrawn 
at  any  moment." 

It  occurred  to  Virginia  suddenly  that  if  these 
men  were  to  see  her  face,  she  might  be  recognized. 
She  could  see  that  they  were  on  the  point  of  leav- 
ing, and  their  conversation  was  obviously  at  an 
end.  She  called  for  a  waiter,  paid  her  bill,  and 
went  out. 

She  walked  slowly  down  Regent  Street,  and 
turning  up  Shaftesbury  Avenue,  made  her  way  on 
foot  to  the  boarding  house  near  the  British 
Museum  where  she  was  living.  She  went  straight 
up  to  her  room  and  sat  down  to  think.  She  had 
decided  that  these  men  were  probably  employed 
by  Littleson,  and  that  they  were  going  to  make  an 
attempt,  that  night  apparently,  upon  the  life  of 
Norris  Vine.  In  any  case  her  first  impulse  would 
have  been  to  warn  him,  but  she  had  also  personal 
reasons  for  doing  so.  If  this  paper  which  Vine 
held  was  recovered  by  some  one  else,  her  own 
mission  would  be  a  failure.  In  the  hands  of 
Littleson  and  his  friends,  it  would  without  a 
doubt  be  promptly  destroyed,  and  nothing  would 
be  left  for  her  to  do  but  to  go  back  to  America  and 


THE  GOVERNORS 

own  her  defeat.  She  decided  that  Norris  Vine 
must  be  warned.  At  first  she  thought  of  writing 
or  telegraphing.  Then  she  remembered  that  it 
was  already  past  six,  and  that  Vine  was  not  ex- 
pected to  return  to  his  rooms  until  after  dinner. 
He  would  probably,  therefore,  receive  neither 
telegram  nor  letter  before  he  had  walked  into  the 
trap.  There  was  only  one  thing  left  for  her  to  do. 
If  these  men  could  obtain  ingress  to  Vine's  rooms, 
so  could  she.  She  must  be  there  first  and  warn 
him. 

She  changed  her  clothes,  and  after  a  few 
minutes'  hesitation,  set  out  to  dine  at  one  of  the 
restaurants  which  she  had  on  her  list.  It  was  a 
smart  and  somewhat  Bohemian  place,  but  even 
here  women  dining  alone  were  subjected  to  a  good 
deal  of  remark,  and  her  cheeks  grew  hot  as  she 
remembered  her  first  visit  there,  and  the  whis- 
pered discussion  between  the  waiters  as  to 
whether  she  should  be  given  a  table.  She  had 
become  a  fairly  regular  customer  there  now, 
though,  and  to-night  she  was  given  a  table  near 
the  wall,  an  excellent  vantage  ground  for  her, 
but  exactly  opposite  three  men,  who  had  appar- 
ently been  drinking  heavily,  and  whose  whole 
attention,  from  the  moment  of  her  entrance, 
seemed  fixed  upon  her.  She  ordered  her  dinner, 
steadfastly  ignoring  them,  and  sat  as  usual  with 
her  eyes  fixed  upon  the  door,  but  her  indifference 
was  not  sufficient  to  chill  the  ardour  of  the 


VIRGINIA,  WITH  A  LITTLE  MURMUR  OF  DELIGHT,  RECOGNIZED 

MR.    MlLDMAY    STANDING    BEFORE    HER.       Page    173 


MR.  MILDMAY  AGAIN          173 

younger  of  the  three  men.  She  saw  him  call  a 
waiter  and  write  something  on  the  back  of  a  card, 
and  immediately  afterwards  the  waiter,  with  some 
hesitation,  and  a  half-expressed  apology,  pre- 
sented it  to  her.  She  tore  it  in  pieces,  and  went  on 
with  her  dinner  without  a  word.  Then  a  voice 
at  her  elbow  startled  her. 

"  Miss  Longworth,"  it  said,  "  won't  you  allow 
me  to  sit  at  your  table  ?  I  will  promise  not  to 
intrude  in  any  way,  and  you  may  possibly  be 
saved  from  such  impertinences  as  that." 

He  pointed  to  the  waiter,  retiring  discomfited, 
and  Virginia,  with  a  little  murmur  of  delight, 
recognized  Mr.  Mildmay  standing  before  her. 

"  Mr.  Mildmay!  "  she  exclaimed,  holding  out 
her  hand.  "  Why,  how  glad  I  am  to  see  you 
again!  " 

"  And  I  you,  Miss  Longworth,"  he  answered 
heartily,  "  but  to  be  frank  with  you,  I  would 
rather  have  met  you  somewhere  else." 

The  colour  which  had  suddenly  streamed  into 
her  cheeks  faded  away,  and  she  sighed.  Tall, 
and  very  immaculate  in  the  neat  simplicity  of  his 
severe  evening  dress,  he  seemed  to  her  a  more 
formidable  person  than  ever  he  had  done  on  the 
steamer.  The  disapproval,  too,  which  he  felt, 
he  could  scarcely  help  showing  in  some  measure 
in  his  face. 

"  Perhaps,"  she  said,  "  I  ought  not  to  have 
asked  you  to  do  anything  so  compromising  as  to 


174  THE  GOVERNORS 

sit  with  me.     Please  don't  hesitate  to  say  so  if 
you  would  rather  not." 

He  seated  himself  by  her  side  and  drew  the 
carte  toward  him. 

"  Have  you  ordered  ?  "  he  asked. 

She  nodded. 

"  I  am  so  sorry,"  she  said,  "  but  I  am  in  no 
hurry.  You  can  catch  me  up." 

He  ordered  something  from  the  waiter  who 
was  standing  by,  and  then  turned  again  to  her. 

*  You  mustn't  be  unfair  to  me,  please,"  he 
said.  "  It  is  only  because  I  hate  to  see  you 
subjected  to  such  affronts,  that  I  have  any  feeling 
in  the  matter  at  all.  Couldn't  you  have  a  com- 
panion, or  something  of  that  sort,  if  you  must 
come  to  these  places  ?  " 

She  laughed  softly. 

"  No!  "  she  said,  "  I  am  afraid  I  couldn't  do 
that,  but  if  it  really  gives  you  any  satisfaction  to 
hear  it,  I  think  that  my  search  —  I  told  you  that 
I  had  come  to  look  for  some  one,  didn't  I  ?  — 
will  be  over  to-night,  and  then  it  will  not  be  nec- 
essary for  me  to  do  this  sort  of  thing." 

"  I  am  glad,"  he  answered  heartily.  "  I  am 
glad,  that  is  to  say,  unless " 

"  Unless  what  ?  " 

"  Unless  it  means  your  going  back  to  America." 

She  raised  her  eyes  to  his. 

"  And  how  does  that  concern  you  ? "  she 
asked,  simply. 


MR.  MILDMAY  AGAIN  175 

"  I  wish  to  God  I  knew  why  it  should!  "  he 
answered,  almost  bitterly.  "  Do  you  know  what 
a  fool  I  have  been  making  of  myself  for  the  last 
week  or  so  ?  I  have  given  up  my  club  and  all  my 
friends,  refused  every  invitation,  and  spent  all 
my  time  going  about  from  restaurant  to  restau- 
rant, cafe  to  cafe,  hoping  somewhere  to  come 
across  you." 

"  Mr.  Mildmay!  " —  she  began. 

"  Oh !  you  need  not  look  like  that/*  he  inter- 
rupted. "  It's  perfectly  true.  I  think  you  knew 
it  upon  the  steamer.  I  suppose  that  last  day 
I  made  myself  a  nuisance  to  you,  with  my  advice 
and  fears,  and  all  that  sort  of  thing.  Well,  you 
see,  now  I  ask  no  questions.  I  am  content  to 
take  you  as  you  are.  You  want  some  one  to  look 
after  you,  Virginia.  Will  you  marry  me  ?  " 

She  set  down  her  glass,  which  was  half  raised 
to  her  lips,  and  looked  at  him  with  wide  open 
eyes  and  trembling  lips. 


CHAPTER  VII 

AN   APPOINTMENT 

X7"IRGINIA  seemed  to  find  speech  impossible, 
and  it  seemed  to  him  that  he  could  see  the 
tears  gathering  in  her  eyes. 

"  Forgive  me,"  he  said,  leaning  over  the  table 
towards  her.  "  I  ought  to  have  asked  you  differ- 
ently, I  know,  but  I  am  so  afraid  that  you  will 
slip  away,  as  you  did  before,  and  that  I  shall  lose 
sight  of  you  again.  You  want  some  one  to  take 
care  of  you,  dear,  and  I  am  going  to  do  it." 

She  looked  at  him  with  swimming  eyes,  and 
he  laid  his  hand  softly  for  a  moment  upon  hers. 

"  Mr.  Mildmay,"  she  said,  "  you  must  not  say 
such  things  to  me.  It  is  quite  impossible,  en- 
tirely and  absolutely  impossible." 

*'  I  don't  believe  it,"  he  answered  calmly. 
"  You  will  have  to  give  me  some  very  good  reasons 
before  I  go  away  again  and  leave  you." 

"Reasons!"  she  faltered.  "Oh!  there  is 
every  reason  in  the  world.  You  don't  know  me, 
or  anything  about  me,  and  you  know  very  well 
that  I  am  doing  things  here  that  no  nice  girl  would 
do." 

"  I  know  nothing  of  the  sort,"  he  answered, 


AN  APPOINTMENT  177 

smiling,  "  because  you  are  a  nice  girl.  But,  on 
the  other  hand,  of  course,  I  am  glad  to  hear  that 
your  search,  whatever  it  may  be,  is  over.  You 
can  tell  me  about  it  or  not,  just  as  you  please. 
Perhaps  I  may  be  able  to  help.  Perhaps  you 
would  like  to  tell  me.  If  not,  it  doesn't  matter." 

She  found  speech  difficult,  almost  impossible. 
He  seemed  so  sure  of  his  position,  so  absolutely 
confident  that  there  could  be  nothing  which  could 
possibly  separate  them. 

"  But  you  don't  understand,"  she  tried  to  say. 
"  I  am  not  the  sort  of  person  at  all  whom  you 
ought  to  think  of  marrying.  I  am  very,  very  poor, 
and  I  am  over  here  because  I  betrayed  a  trust, 
to  try  and  steal  back  something  which  was  lost 
through  my  carelessness.  I  might  be  put  in 
prison  for  what  I  am  trying  to  do.  All  sorts  of 
things  might  happen  to  me.  You  mustn't  have 
anything  to  do  with  me." 

He  smiled,  and  rested  his  hand  for  a  moment 
once  more  upon  her  thin  white  fingers. 

"  Little  girl,"  he  said,  "  I  believe  in  you,  and 
that  is  quite  enough.  I  shall  get  a  special  license 
to-morrow." 

She  laughed  a  little  hysterically. 

"  Forgive  me,"  she  said,  wiping  her  eyes,  "  but 
over  in  New  York  they  call  Englishmen  slow. 
How  dare  you  talk  of  special  licenses,  when  I  have 
told  you  that  I  cannot,  that  I  will  not  even  think 
of  marrying  you!  " 


178  THE  GOVERNORS 

He  looked  at  her  with  sudden  keenness. 

"  Is  there  any  one  else  ?  "  he  asked  gravely. 

She  was  forced  to  speak  the  truth. 

"  No,  there  is  no  one!  "  she  said. 

"  Good!  "  he  answered.  "  I  thought  not.  As 
a  matter  of  form,  have  you  any  further  reasons 
why  you  won't  marry  me  ?  " 

"  I  don't  —  care  for  you  enough,"  she  gasped. 

'  You  will  very  soon,"  he  answered  reassur- 
ingly. "  I  really  can  make  myself  quite  an  agree- 
able companion.  You  haven't  seen  enough  of 
me  yet.  Of  course  I  know  I'm  rather  taking  you 
by  storm,  but  I  am  not  going  to  leave  you  alone 
in  a  strange  city,  indulging  in  some  melodramatic 
game  of  hide  and  seek.  You  don't  need  to  do 
that,  Virginia.  I  am  quite  as  rich  as  ever  you 
will  want  to  be,  and  if  any  one  has  suffered  in 
America  through  your  carelessness  I  think  1 
can  make  amends  for  you  more  completely  than 
you  can  by  trying  to  break  the  laws  of  this  country. 
You  know,  dear,  I  am  not  curious,  but  I  really 
think  you  had  better  tell  me  all  about  it.  It  will 
make  things  much  easier." 

She  shook  her  head. 

"  It  isn't  my  secret,"  she  answered,  "  and 
besides,  it's  a  dangerous  one.  Whoever  has  the 
paper  which  was  stolen  through  my  carelessness, 
and  which  I  am  going  to  try  and  get  back,  goes 
every  moment  in  danger  of  his  life." 

He  smiled  at  her  a  little  unbelievingly. 


AN  APPOINTMENT  179 

"  That  may  be  all  very  well  in  New  York,"  he 
said,  "  but  here  in  London  one  doesn't  do  such 
things.  One  keeps  the  law  here,  for  we  have  an 
incorruptible  police." 

"  You  don't  understand,"  she  said  sadly. 
'  This  is  really  something  great." 

"  Can't  you  buy  this  paper  or  whatever  it  is  ?  " 
he  asked,  "  or  rather  couldn't  I  buy  it  for  you  ?  " 

She  shook  her  head. 

"  The  man  who  has  it  refused  a  million  dollars 
for  it,"  she  said  simply.  "  Indeed,  I  must  not 
tell  you  anything  more.  Please,  Mr.  Mild- 
may  - 

"  Guy!  "  he  interrupted. 

"  Guy,  then,"  she  continued,  with  something 
very  much  like  a  blush,  "  forget  all  that  you  have 
said  to  me,  at  any  rate  for  the  present.  Perhaps 

later  on,  when  this  is  all  over 

'  You  won't  want  me  then,"  he  said.  "  It's 
just  now  you  need  some  one  to  look  after  you. 
You  are  too  young,  and  forgive  me,  dear,  too 
simple,  to  be  mixed  up  in  such  affairs  as  you  have 
been  speaking  of.  There  is  only  one  way  to 
really  protect  you,  and  that  is  to  get  that  special 
license  to-morrow." 

"  But  you  mustn't  talk  about  it,  think  about  it 
even,"  she  protested.  "  It's  impossible." 

"  No,  I  think  not!  "  he  answered.  "  Come,  I 
am  going  to  make  you  drink  a  glass  of  my  wine. 
You  are  looking  positively  woebegone.  That's 


i8o  THE  GOVERNORS 

right,  drink  it  down,"  he  added,  as  she  sipped  it 
timidly.  "  Now  tell  me  what  you  are  going  to  do 
for  the  rest  of  the  evening." 

"  I  am  going,"  she  said,  "  to  try  and  save  the 
life  of  the  man  who  has  the  paper  which  was  stolen 
from  me.  Incidentally  I  may  be  able  to  get  it 
back  again." 

"  Can  I  come  too  ?  "  he  asked. 

"Certainly  not!"  she  answered.  "It  isn't 
an  affair  for  you  to  be  mixed  up  in,  and  besides 
it  would  spoil  my  chance." 

"  You  are  not  encouraging,"  he  said.  "  Seri- 
ously, Virginia,  do  let  me  come." 

"No!"  she  answered,  glancing  at  the  clock, 
"  and  I  must  be  going  in  a  very  few  minutes." 

"  You  haven't  told  me  yet  when  you  will  marry 
me,"  he  reminded  her. 

She  looked  at  him  piteously. 

"  Please  don't  be  foolish,"  she  said,  "  I  cannot 
marry  you;  I  can  never  marry  you.  I  told  you 
that  before.  You  must  please  put  it  out  of  your 
head.  I  am  going  now,  and  it  must  be  "  -  her 
voice  trembled  a  little  -  "  good-bye!  " 

"  It  will  be  nothing  of  the  sort,"  he  answered. 
"  Do  you  care  for  me  a  little,  Virginia  ?  " 

"I  —  perhaps  I  do,"  she  faltered. 

"  I  thought  you  did,"  he  whispered,  smiling. 
"  I  hoped  so,  anyhow.  That  settles  it,  Virginia. 
You  haven't  a  chance  of  getting  away  from  me, 
dear.  You  may  just  as  well  make  up  your  mind 


AN  APPOINTMENT  181 

to  be  Mrs.  Mildmay  as  soon  as  I  can  get  that 
license." 

'  You  are  the  most  impossible  person !  "  she 
declared  in  despair.  "  How  can  I  make  you 
believe  me  ? " 

"  Nohow,"  he  answered.  "  Let  me  come 
with  you,  please,  this  evening." 

"  I  will  not,"  she  answered  firmly.  "  Do 
believe  me,  please,  that  it  is  impossible." 

"  Very  well,  then,"  he  answered,  "  you  shall 
have  your  own  way,  but  on  one  condition,  and 
that  is  that  you  tell  me  where  I  can  find  you 
to-morrow.  I  shall  probably  have  the  license 
then." 

Virginia  looked  around  the  room  as  though 
seeking  for  some  means  of  escape,  and  yet  she 
knew  that  every  word  he  uttered  was  a  delight 
to  her;  that  a  new  joy,  against  which  she  was 
powerless  to  fight,  was  filling  her  life.  It  was 
absurd,  impossible,  not  to  be  thought  of,  and  yet 
all  the  time  his  insistence  delighted  her.  He  had 
so  much  the  air  of  one  who  has  always  his  own 
way.  She  felt  her  powers  of  resistance  becoming 
almost  impotent,  and  she  watched  their  dissipa- 
tion with  secret  joy.  How  was  it  possible  to 
resist  a  lover  so  confident,  so  authoritative,  es- 
pecially when  her  whole  heart  was  filled  with  a 
passionate  longing  to  throw  everything  else  to  the 
winds  and  to  place  her  hands  in  his.  Perhaps 
by  to-morrow,  she  thought,  things  would  seem 


1 82  THE  GOVERNORS 

different  to  her,  but  in  the  meantime  she  gave 
him  the  address  of  the  boarding-house  in  Russell 
Street.  How  could  she  help  it ! 

"  I  shall  be  there,"  he  said,  "  sometime  before 
twelve  to-morrow  morning.  You  won't  be  going 
out  before  then  ?  " 

"I  —  suppose  not,"  she  faltered. 

He  called  the  waiter  and  asked  for  the  bill  for 
his  dinner.  Hers  she  had  already  paid.  She 
rose  to  her  feet. 

"  Please,"  she  said  earnestly,  "  do  not  come 
out  with  me.  I  am  going  now,  and  where  I  am 
going  I  must  go  alone." 

He  glanced  opposite,  to  where  the  three  men 
were  still  sitting. 

"  Very  well,"  he  said,  "  I  will  let  you  go.  You 
will  permit  me,  I  presume,  to  see  you  out  of  the 
restaurant  ?  " 

He  walked  down  with  her  to  the  door,  and 
would  have  called  a  hansom,  but  she  answered 
that  she  preferred  to  walk. 

"  I  have  an  automobile  here  if  you  will  use  it," 
he  said,  "  and  I  will  engage  not  to  ask  the  man 
where  he  drove  you." 

"  I  am  not  afraid  of  that,"  she  answered,  "  but 
I  would  rather  walk,  if  you  please.  I  have  only 
a  very  little  way  to  go." 

He  took  both  her  hands  in  his  firmly. 

"  Virginia,  dear,"  he  said,  smiling  down  at  her, 
"  good  night,  and  remember  that  I  am  coming 


AN  APPOINTMENT  183 

to  see  you  to-morrow,  and  that  I  am  going  to 
bring  that   special   license.     You   are   going  to 
marry  me  whether  you  want  to  or  not,  and  very 
soon  too." 
Virginia  hurried  away,  breathless. 


CHAPTER  VIII 

DEFEATED 

VIRGINIA  drew  a  little  breath  of  relief. 
After  all  it  had  been  very  easy.  She  had 
simply  walked  into  the  flats,  entered  the  lift, 
ascended  to  the  fifth  floor,  opened  the  door  of 
No.  57,  and  walked  in.  She  had  had  a  moment 
of  fear  lest  there  should  be  a  servant  in  the  rooms, 
but  it  was  a  fear  which  proved  groundless.  She 
had  found  herself  in  a  tiny  hall,  with  closed  doors 
in  front  and  on  the  right  of  her,  and  an  open  one 
on  the  left  leading  into  a  small,  plainly  furnished 
but  comfortable  sitting-room.  This  she  entered, 
and  closed  the  door  behind  her.  At  last  she  was 
in  Norris  Vine's  sanctum. 

She  drew  a  little  breath,  half  of  relief,  half  of 
excitement,  and  then  repenting  at  the  closed  door, 
quietly  opened  it,  and  left  it  about  a  foot  ajar. 
She  looked  round  the  room  with  a  swift  compre- 
hensive glance.  There  was  only  one  place  where 
it  seemed  possible  that  papers  of  importance 
might  be  hidden,  a  small  desk  with  pigeon-holes, 
before  the  window.  She  sat  down  in  front  of  it, 
and  methodically,  one  by  one,  she  examined 
every  paper  she  found,  bills,  receipts,  prospec- 


DEFEATED  185 

tuses,  charitable  appeals,  circulars,  memoranda 
of  literary  matter.  She  found  many  of  these, 
but  nothing  in  the  least  like  the  paper  for  which 
she  was  in  search. 

With  a  little  sigh  she  closed  the  desk,  and, 
turning  away  from  it,  seated  herself  in  the  easy- 
chair  in  front  of  the  fireplace.  Almost  as  she  did 
so  she  received  a  shock  which  sent  the  blood 
tingling  through  her  body.  The  outer  door  had 
opened  very  softly.  She  had  the  idea  that  some 
one  was  standing  outside  hesitating  whether  to 
enter.  Thoughts  flashed  quickly  through  her 
mind.  This  was  not  Norris  Vine,  or  he  would 
have  entered  his  own  room  without  hesitation. 
She  affected  to  be  absorbed  in  the  magazine 
which  she  had  picked  up,  but  it  was  almost  cer- 
tain, from  the  fact  that  the  door  was  gently 
pushed  open  another  inch  or  two,  that  some  one 
was  looking  through  the  chink.  She  read  on 
unmoved,  although  she  even  fancied  that  she 
could  hear  the  stifled  breathing  of  some  one 
peering  into  the  room.  Then  she  heard  the  door 
of  the  room  outside,  his  bedroom  without  a  doubt, 
softly  opened.  The  intruder,  whoever  he  might 
be,  had  evidently  stolen  in  there. 

Virginia  laid  down  her  magazine  for  a  moment, 
and  with  half-closed  eyes  tried  to  think.  Within 
the  next  room,  only  a  few  yards  away,  and  nearer 
to  the  door  leading  into  the  flat  than  she  herself 
was,  was  hiding  the  person  who  for  two  thousand 


186  THE  GOVERNORS 

five  hundred  pounds  was  proposing  to  rid  the 
world  of  Norris  Vine.  What  would  happen  if  she 
sat  still  ?  If  Norris  Vine  should  come  in,  and  it 
was  almost  the  time  at  which  he  was  expected, 
his  assailant  would  probably  be  waiting  behind 
the  door.  She  had  no  doubt  but  that  the  attack 
would  be  swift  and  sudden,  and  that  once  made 
some  means  would  be  taken  to  keep  her  a  prisoner 
in  the  room  where  she  now  was,  or  perhaps  there 
might  be.even  worse  things  in  store  for  her.  In 
any  case,  within  a  few  yards  of  her  a  man  lay 
in  hiding  with  murder  in  his  heart,  and  between 
them  the  closed  door  which  might  at  any  mo- 
ment be  opened.  What  chance  would  she  have 
to  warn  Norris  Vine  ?  None  at  all ! 

She  rose  to  her  feet  and  sat  down  again.  The 
very  thought  of  moving  nearer  to  the  room  where 
this  man  was  waiting  filled  her  with  horror,  and 
yet  it  was  surely  as  dangerous  to  remain  where 
she  was,  too  far  away  to  warn  any  one  entering, 
and  herself  at  the  mercy  of  the  conqueror  in  the 
brief  struggle.  Her  breath  began  to  come  more 
quickly  as  she  realized  that  she  was  trapped. 
Probably  that  man  in  the  next  room  knew  all 
about  her,  knew  just  why  she  was  there,  and  had 
made  up  his  mind  how  to  deal  with  her.  She 
found  herself  listening  in  ever-deepening  horror 
for  that  turn  of  the  handle  which  should  signal 
the  coming  of  the  man  for  whom  they  both  waited. 
Intervention  of  any  sort  would  be  welcome. 


SIMULTANEOUSLY  SHE  HEARD  A  STEALTHY  MOVEMENT  OUTSIDE. 
Page  187 


DEFEATED  187 

An  intervention  came,  in  a  manner  as  common- 
place as  it  was  startling.  The  bell  of  a  telephone 
instrument  on  the  top  of  the  desk  began  to  ring. 
A  moment's  breathless  indecision,  and  then  she 
walked  to  the  instrument  and  took  the  receiver 
in  her  hand.  Simultaneously  she  heard  a  stealthy 
movement  outside.  Her  fellow-watcher,  who- 
ever he  might  be,  had  also  made  up  his  mind  to 
know  who  was  ringing  up  Norris  Vine  so  late. 

"  Who's  that  ?  "  the  voice  asked  abruptly. 

"  Coniston  Mansions,  No.  57,"  Virginia  an- 
swered, disguising  her  voice  as  much  as  possible. 

"  Yes!  but  who  is  it  in  my  rooms  ?  That  isn't 
Janion's  voice,  is  it  ?  " 

Then  Virginia  knew  that  the  person  who  spoke 
was  Norris  Vine  himself,  and  before  every  word 
she  uttered  she  hesitated,  thinking  always  of  the 
listener  outside. 

"  No,  it's  not  Janion,"  she  answered.  "  What 
do  you  want  ?  " 

"  I  wanted  to  know  whether  my  servant  was 
there,"  the  voice  replied.  :*  Who  are  you,  and 
what  are  you  doing  in  my  rooms  ?  " 

"  Gone  into  the  country  ?  "  Virginia  said,  speak- 
ing in  a  loud  tone  of  surprise.  '  You  mean  that 
he  will  not  be  here  to-night,  after  all  ?  " 

The  voice  down  the  telephone  came  angry  and 
perplexed. 

'''  What  the  devil  are  you  talking  about  ?  "  it 
asked.  "  I  am  Norris  Vine,  and  I  am  speaking 


188  THE  GOVERNORS 

into  my  own  rooms.  I  want  to  know  who  you 
are,  and  what  are  you  doing  there." 

'*  Then  I  think,"  Virginia  continued,  still 
speaking  loudly,  "  that  you  might  be  a  little  more 
careful  before  you  send  me  on  a  fool's  errand  like 
this.  Here  have  I  been  waiting  for  half  an  hour 
for  a  man  who  you  declared  was  certain  to  come 
here  before  eleven  o'clock.  Now  you  tell  me  that 
he  is  not  returning  to-night  at  all,  gone  into  the 
country,  or  some  rubbish.  Why  can't  you  make 
sure  of  your  facts  ?  You  seem  to  icpeat  any  stuff 
that's  told  you,  and  then  think  that  it  doesn't 
matter  so  long  as  you  say  that  you're  sorry.  How 
about  my  wasted  time  sitting  here,  to  say  nothing 
of  the  risk  of  being  taken  for  a  thief!" 

"  If  you  don't  tell  me  who  you  are  at  once,"  the 
voice  came  back,  "I  shall  send  a  policeman  round. 
Can't  you  understand  that  I  want  my  man 
Janion  ?  I  want  him  to  bring  my  evening  clothes 
to  the  club.  If  you  don't  tell  me  who  you  are, 
and  what  you  are  doing  in  my  rooms,  I  shall  be 
round  there  with  a  policeman  in  five  minutes." 

"  Of  course  I  shan't  stop,"  Virginia  replied, 
still  in  a  loud  voice.  '  What  on  earth  is  there 
to  stop  for  if  the  man  isn't  coming  back  for 
several  days  ?  I  shall  be  away  before  the  police 
can  come.  Ring  off,  please." 

"  I  don't  know  who  the  devil  you  are,"  the  voice 
came  back,  "  but  I  jolly  soon  will.  You'll  have 
to  hurry,  my  friend,  if  you  mean  to  get  away.  I 


DEFEATED  189 

am  going  to  ring  up  the  manager's  office." 

Virginia  threw  down  the  receiver.  She  hesi- 
tated for  a  moment  before  the  looking-glass,  as 
though  straightening  her  hat  —  in  reality  to  give 
the  listener  outside  time  to  get  back  once  more 
into  hiding.  Then  she  walked  with  fast  beating 
heart  and  steady  footsteps  towards  the  door. 
She  opened  it  boldly.  The  little  hall  was  empty; 
the  door  of  the  room  opposite,  which  had  been 
closed  when  she  had  entered,  was  ajar  now,  but 
there  were  no  signs  of  any  living  person.  She 
opened  the  door  leading  into  the  corridor  and 
safety.  For  the  first  time  she  noticed  that  the 
key  was  in  the  inside.  She  withdrew  it,  passed 
out,  closed  the  door,  and  stood  in  safety  in  the 
corridor.  Thoughts  chased  one  another  through 
her  mind.  She  had  only  to  lock  the  door  on  the 
outside,  call  for  help,  and  the  person  who  had 
waited  with  her  for  Norris  Vine's  return  was 
caught  in  a  trap.  Would  there  be  any  advantage 
in  it  ?  Would  she  be  able  to  clear  herself  ? 

Reluctantly  she  decided  that  it  was  better  to  let 
him  go.  She  rang  for  the  lift,  and  then  turned 
with  fascinated  eyes  to  watch  the  door  leading 
into  Norris  Vine's  apartments.  The  lights  were 
very  dim  on  the  landing.  There  were  no  servants 
or  any  one  about.  She  watched  the  closed  door 
with  fascinated  eyes.  What  if  it  should  open 
before  the  lift  came!  She  rang  again,  kept  her 
finger  upon  the  bell;  then  with  a  great  sense  of 


190  THE  GOVERNORS 

relief  she  heard  the  creaking  of  the  wire  rope,  and 
saw  the  top  of  the  lift  beginning  to  ascend.  It 
drew  level  with  her,  and  the  page-boy  threw  open 
the  iron  door.  Almost  at  that  moment  she  saw 
the  door  of  Norris  Vine's  apartment  softly  opened 
from  the  inside.  She  sank  down  upon  the  seat. 

"  Down,  please!  "  she  said,  and  the  lift  began 
to  descend.  Her  safety  was  assured.  She  turned 
to  the  boy.  "  Does  Mr.  Vine  generally  come  up 
this  way  to  his  rooms  ?  "  she  asked. 

"  Always  at  night,  miss,"  the  boy  answered. 
"  The  other  lift  don't  run  after  eleven." 

She  reached  the  hall.  The  commissionaire 
opened  the  doors  and  she  passed  out  into  the 
street.  She  crossed  the  road,  and  stood  perfectly 
still  watching  the  entrance.  Five,  ten  minutes 
passed;  then  a  man  came  out  in  evening  dress, 
with  silk  hat,  and  a  white  handkerchief  around 
his  neck.  He  was  smoking  a  cigarette,  and  he 
carried  a  silver-headed  cane.  Virginia  crossed 
the  road  once  more,  and,  trusting  to  the  crowd, 
kept  within  a  few  yards  of  him.  He  turned  to  the 
edge  of  the  curb  and  called  a  hansom. 

"  Claridge's  Hotel!"  he  said.  "As  quick  as 
you  can,  cabby!  " 

She  gave  a  little  start.  Not  only  had  she  recog- 
nized the  voice  of  the  man  who  had  sat  behind  her 
in  the  cafe  that  afternoon,  but  she  also  knew  at 
once  that  this  was  one  of  the  three  men  who  had 
sat  opposite  her  only  an  hour  or  so  ago  at  dinner! 


CHAPTER  IX 

INGRATITUDE 

VINE  stood  in  the  middle  of  his 
room,  his  hat  still  upon  his  head,  and  his 
overcoat  on  his  arm.  Before  him  stood  the  waiter 
and  the  watchman  of  the  flats. 

"  My  rooms,"  he  was  saying,  "  have  been  occu- 
pied within  the  last  ten  minutes  by  strangers,  and 
by  people  who  have  no  right  here  whatever.  I 
have  certain  proof  of  this.  Do  you  allow  any  one 
who  chooses  to  come  into  the  building  and  use 
the  lift,  and  enter  whatever  apartment  they 
choose  ?  " 

'  We  cannot  employ  detectives,"  the  manager 
answered,  "  and  every  one  who  lives  here  has 
visitors." 

There  was  a  soft  knock  at  the  door,  and  almost 
immediately  it  was  opened.  Virginia  entered, 
and  guessed  immediately  the  meaning  of  the  little 
scene  before  her. 

.  "  You  want  an  explanation  as  to  that  telephone 
message,"  she  said  quietly.  "  I  have  come  to 
give  it  to  you.  If  you  will  send  these  people 
away,  I  will  explain  everything." 

Norris  Vine  looked  at  her  in  amazement.     Her 


192  THE  GOVERNORS 

face  somehow  seemed  familiar,  but  he  failed  at 
first  to  place  her.  The  two  men  whom  Vine  was 
interviewing  were  only  too  glad  of  the  opportunity 
to  take  their  departure. 

"  Am  I  to  understand,"  Vine  asked,  "  that  it 
was  you  whose  voice  I  heard  at  the  telephone  ?  " 

"  You  are,"  Virginia  answered,  "  and  you  may 
be  very  thankful  for  it.  I  do  not  know  whether 
it  was  wise  of  me  or  not,  but  I  am  quite  sure  that 
I  saved  your  life." 

"  In  which  case,"  Vine  remarked,  with  an 
incredulous  smile,  "  I  must  at  least  ask  you  to  sit 
down." 

Virginia  seated  herself  and  pushed  back  her 
veil. 

*  You  do  not  remember  me,"  she  said.  "  I  am 
Phineas  Duge's  niece." 

"  I  remember  you  now  quite  well,"  he  an- 
swered. '  You  were  having  dinner  with  your 
uncle  one  night  at  Sherry's." 

She  nodded. 

"That  is  quite  true,"  she  said.  "I  have  been 
looking  for  you  for  some  days.  In  fact,  I  came 
to  London  to  look  for  you." 

"  That,"  he  remarked  drily,  "  sounds  some- 
what mysterious,  considering  that  I  have  not  yet 
had  the  pleasure  of  your  acquaintance." 

'  There  is  nothing  mysterious  about  it,"  she 
answered.  :<  You  are  a  receiver  of  stolen  goods. 
Some  papers  were  stolen  from  my  uncle's  study 


INGRATITUDE  193 

by  Stella,  my  cousin,  and  given  to  you.  They 
were  stolen  through  my  carelessness.  Unless  I 
can  recover  them  I  am  ruined." 

"  Go  on,"  Norris  Vine  said.     "  You  have  not 
finished  yet." 

"No!"  she  answered,  "I  have  not.  I  fol- 
lowed you  to  England  to  get  those  papers  back, 
either  by  theft,  or  by  appealing  to  your  sense  of 
honour,  or  by  any  means  which  presented  them- 
selves. I  found  by  accident  that  I  was  not  the 
only  American  in  London  who  was  over  here  in 
search  of  you.  This  afternoon  I  overheard  part 
of  a  plot  in  a  cafe  in  Regent  Street  between  two 
men,  strangers  to  me,  but  who  had  both  appar- 
ently made  up  their  minds  that  this  particular 
paper  was  worth  a  little  more  than  your  life. 
From  them  I  heard  your  address.  Your  valet 
must  be  in  their  pay,  for  they  knew  exactly  your 
movements  for  the  night.  I  heard  them  plan  to 
come  here,  and  I  knew  what  the  end  of  that 
would  be.  I  determined  to  anticipate  them.  It 
was  not  out  of  any  feeling  for  you,  but  simply 
because  if  the  paper  got  into  their  hands  my 
cause  was  lost.  So  I  came  on  here  to  warn  you, 
but  I  had  scarcely  entered  your  room  before  I 
was  aware  that  some  one  who  had  come  with  very 
different  intentions  was  already  here.  We  waited 
—  I  in  the  sitting-room,  he  in  that  bedroom  — 
waited  for  you.  I  pretended  to  be  unconscious  of 
his  existence.  He  seemed  to  be  content  to  ignore 


i94  THE  GOVERNORS 

mine.  While  I  was  wondering  how  I  should 
warn  you,  the  telephone  bell  rang.  I  answered 
it,  and  it  was  you  who  spoke.  Then  I  had  the 
idea  of  carrying  on  some  imaginary  conversation 
with  you,  which  would  induce  the  man  who  was 
listening  to  go  away.  I  did  it  and  he  went  away. 
It  must  have  sounded  terrible  nonsense  to  you, 
of  course,  but  it  was  the  only  way  I  could  think 
of  to  get  him  out  of  the  place.  He  left  convinced 
that  you  were  not  coming  here  to-night." 

"  Do  you  know  who  he  was,  this  man  ?  "  Vine 
asked. 

"  I  do  not,"  she  answered,  "  but  I  can  guess 
who  his  employers  are." 

"  And  so  can  I,"  Vine  said  grimly.  "  It  seems 
to  me  that  you  are  a  very  plucky  young  lady,  Miss 
Longworth." 

"  Not  at  all,"  she  answered.  "  What  I  have 
done,  I  have  done  for  the  sake  of  reward." 

"  Will  you  name  it  ?  "  he  asked. 

"  I  want  that  paper  to  take  back  to  my  uncle," 
she  said.  "  Stella  stole  it  from  me  brutally,  and 
unless  I  can  get  it  back  again,  my  uncle  is  going  to 
send  me  back  to  the  little  farmhouse  where  I  came 
from,  and  is  going  to  leave  off  helping  my  people. 
I  want  that  paper  back,  Mr.  Vine,  and  you  must 
give  it  to  me." 

He  looked  at  her  with  utterly  impassive  face. 

"  I  am  afraid,  Miss  Longworth,"  he  said,  "  that 
I  must  disappoint  you.  If  I  gave  you  back  that 


INGRATITUDE  195 

paper,  it  would  go  into  the  hands  of  one  of  the 
most  unprincipled  men  in  America.  It  is  not 
only  your  uncle  whom  I  dislike,  but  his  methods, 
his  craft,  his  infernal,  incarnate  selfishness.  He 
wants  this  paper  as  a  whip  to  hold  over  other 
people.  He  obtained  it  by  subtlety.  The  means 
by  which  it  was  taken  from  him,  although  I  had 
nothing  to  do  with  them,  were  on  the  whole 
justified.  I  cannot  give  it  back  to  you,  Miss  Long- 
worth.  I  have  not  made  up  my  mind  yet  what 
to  do  with  it,  and  I  certainly  have  no  friendship 
for  the  men  whom  it  implicates;  but  all  the  same, 
for  the  present  it  must  remain  in  my  possession." 

"  Do  you  know,"  she  reminded  him,  "that  I 
have  saved  your  life  to-night  ?  " 

He  laughed  softly. 

"  My  dear  child,"  he  said,  "  my  life  is  not  so 
easily  disposed  of.  I  believe  that  you  have  tried 
to  do  me  a  kindness,  but  you  ask  too  great  a 
return.  Even  if  the  paper  you  speak  of  was 
stolen,  it  is  better  in  my  keeping  than  in  your 
uncle's." 

"  You  will  not  give  it  to  me,  then  ?  "  she  asked. 

"  I  will  not,"  he  answered. 

She  rose  from  her  place. 

"  Very  well,"  she  said;  "  I  am  going  now,  but 
I  think  that  we  shall  meet  again  before  very  long." 

He  opened  the  door  for  her  and  walked  out 
toward  the  lift. 

"  My  dear  young  lady,"  he  said,  "  I  hope  you 


196  THE  GOVERNORS 

will  forgive  my  saying  so,  but  this  is  certainly  a 
wild-goose  chase  of  yours.  If  you  will  take  my 
advice,  and  I  know  something  about  life,  you  will 
go  back  to  your  farmhouse  in  the  Connecticut 
valley.  These  larger  places  in  the  world  may 
seem  fascinating  to  you  at  first,  but  believe  me  you 
will  be  better  off  and  happier  in  the  backwoods. 
Ask  Stella.  I  think  that  she  would  give  you  the 
same  advice." 

Virginia  looked  at  him  steadily.  The  faint 
note  of  sarcasm  which  was  seldom  absent  from 
his  tone  was  not  lost  upon  her. 

"  I  thank  you  for  your  advice,"  she  said.  "  It 
sounds  so  disinterested  —  and  convincing.  Such 
an  excellent  return,  too,  for  a  person  who  has 
risked  something  to  do  you  a  kindness." 

"  My  dear  young  lady,"  Vine  answered,  "  it 
was  not  for  my  own  sake  that  you  warned  me. 
You  have  admitted  that  yourself.  It  was  entirely 
from  your  own  point  of  view  that  you  judged  it 
well  for  me  to  remain  a  little  longer  on  the  earth. 
Why,  therefore,  should  I  be  grateful  ?  As  a 
matter  of  fact,  I  am  not  sure  that  I  am.  I,  too,  go 
about  armed,  and  it  is  by  no  means  certain  that  I 
might  not  have  had  the  best  of  any  little  encounter 
with  our  friend  who  you  say  was  hiding  there." 
— He  motioned  his  head  towards  his  bedroom. — 
"  In  that  case,  you  see,  I  should  have  known 
exactly  who  he  was,  possibly  even  have  been  able 
to  hand  him  over  to  the  police." 


INGRATITUDE  197 

Virginia  pressed  the  little  bell  and  the  lift  began 
to  ascend. 

"  I  am  glad  to  know,  Mr.  Vine,'*  she  said, 
"  what  sort  of  a  man  you  are." 

He  bowed,  and  she  stepped  into  the  lift  without 
any  further  form  of  farewell.  Vine  walked 
thoughtfully  back  to  his  rooms.  He  was  a  man 
who  had  grown  hard  and  callous  in  the  stress  of 
life,  but  somehow  the  memory  of  Virginia's  pale 
face  and  dark  reproachful  eyes  remained  with 
him. 


CHAPTER  X 

A   NEW    VENTURE 

OHINEAS  DUCK,  notwithstanding  an  absence 
•*•  of  anything  approaching  vulgarity  in  his 
somewhat  complex  disposition,  was,  for  a  man  of 
affairs  and  an  American,  singularly  fond  of  the 
small  elegances  of  life.  Although  he  sat  alone  at 
dinner,  the  table  was  heaped  with  choice  flowers 
and  carefully  selected  hothouse  fruit.  His  one 
glass  of  wine,  the  best  of  its  sort,  he  sipped  medi- 
tatively, and  with  the  air  of  a  connoisseur.  The 
soft  lights  upon  the  table  were  such  as  a  woman, 
mindful  of  her  complexion,  might  have  chosen. 
Behind  his  chair  stood  his  English  butler,  grave, 
solemn-faced,  attentive.  The  cigars  and  matches 
were  already  on  his  left-hand  side,  ready  for  the 
moment  when  he  should  have  finished  his  wine. 
Outside  a  footman  was  waiting  for  a  signal  to 
bring  in  the  after-dinner  coffee. 

Across  his  luxurious  table,  through  the  waving 
clusters  of  sweet-smelling  flowers  to  the  dark 
mahogany  panelled  wall  beyond,  the  eyes  of 
Phineas  Duge  seemed  to  be  seeking  that  night 
something  which  they  failed  to  find.  The  last 
few  weeks  seemed  in  a  way  to  have  aged  the  man. 


A  NEW  VENTURE  199 

His  lips  had  come  closer  together,  there  were 
faint  lines  on  his  forehead  and  underneath  his 
eyes.  The  butler  from  behind  his  chair  looked 
down  upon  his  master's  carefully  parted  and 
picturesque  hair,  wondering  why  he  sat  so  still, 
wondering  what  he  saw  that  he  looked  so  steadily 
at  that  one  particular  spot  in  the  panelled  wall, 
and  lingered  so  unusually  long  over  the  last  few 
drops  of  his  wine.  Phineas  Duge  himself  won- 
dered still  more  what  had  come  to  him.  For 
many  years  men  and  women  had  come  and  gone, 
leaving  him  indifferent  as  to  their  coming  and 
going,  their  pains  and  their  joys;  and  to-night, 
though  there  were  many  matters  with  which  his 
mind  might  well  have  been  occupied,  he  found 
himself  in  the  curious  position  of  indulging  in 
vague  and  almost  regretful  memories.  The 
place  at  the  other  end  of  his  table  was  empty,  as 
it  had  been  for  many  nights ;  for  during  the  period 
of  his  titanic  struggle  with  those  men  against 
whom  he  had  declared  war,  he  had  shunned  all 
society,  and  lived  a  life  of  stern  and  absolute 
seclusion. 

To-night  that  steady  gaze  which  wandered  over 
the  drooping  flowers  was  really  fixed  upon  that 
empty  chair  at  the  other  end  of  the  table.  A  man 
of  few  fancies,  he  was  never  quite  without  imag- 
ination. His  thoughts  had  travelled  easily  back 

O  J 

to  a  few  weeks  ago.  He  saw  Virginia  sitting 
there,  watched  the  delightful  smile  coming  and 


200  THE  GOVERNORS 

going,  the  large  grey  eyes  that  watched  him  so 
ceaselessly,  the  little  ripple  of  pleasant  conversa- 
tion, which  he  had  never  dreamed  that  he  could 
ever  miss.  After  all,  what  a  child!  As  a  matter 
of  justice,  and  he  told  himself  that  it  was  justice 
only  which  had  power  to  sway  his  judgment,  what 
right  had  he  to  blame  her  for  what  was  really 
nothing  but  a  freak  of  ill-fortune!  Had  he 
punished  himself  in  sending  her  away  ?  Some- 
how, during  these  last  few  nights,  the  room  had 
seemed  curiously  cold  and  empty.  He  had 
missed  her  little  timidly  offered  ministrations,  the 
touch  of  her  fingers  upon  his  shoulder,  the  whole 
nameless  delicacy  which  her  presence  had  brought 
into  the  cold,  magnificent  surroundings,  which 
seemed  to  him  now  as  though  they  could  never  be 
quite  the  same  again. 

These  thoughts  had  come  to  him  before,  but  it 
was  only  to-night  he  had  suffered  them  to  linger 
in  his  mind.  Once  or  twice  he  had  caught  them 
lurking  in  his  brain  and  thrown  them  out.  To- 
night they  had  come  with  a  soft,  invincible  per- 
sistence, so  that  he  had  felt  even  his  will  powerless 
to  strangle  them.  He  was  forced  to  face  the 
truth,  that  he,  Phineas  Duge,  the  man  of  many 
millions,  sat  there  while  the  minutes  fled  past, 
looking  with  empty  eyes  into  empty  space,  think- 
ing of  the  child  whom  he  would  have  given  at  that 
moment  more  than  he  would  have  cared  to  con- 
fess, to  have  found  sitting  within  a  few  feet  of 


A  NEW  VENTURE  201 

him,  peeling  his  walnuts,  or  pouring  out  her  im- 
pressions of  this  wonderful  new  life  into  which 
she  had  come. 

Some  trifle  it  was  which  broke  the  thread  of  his 
reflections.  When  he  realized  what  he  had  been 
doing,  he  was  conscious  of  a  feeling  almost  of 
shame.  In  a  moment  he  was  himself  again.  He 
calmly  drank  up  his  wine,  and  as  he  set  the  glass 
down  held  out  a  cigar  from  the  box  to  the 
man  who  waited  with  the  cigar  cutter  in  hand. 
A  little  silver  spirit  lamp  burning  with  a  blue 
flame  stood  all  ready  at  his  elbow.  The  butler 
gave  the  signal,  and  his  cofFee,  strong  and  fragrant, 
in  a  little  gold  cup,  was  placed  before  him. 

*  You  will  tell  Smedley  to  be  in  the  study  at 
nine  o'clock,"  he  ordered. 

'  Very  good,  sir!  "  the  man  replied.  '  You 
will  not  be  going  out  to-night,  sir  ?  There  are 
no  orders  for  the  garage  ?  " 

"  Not  to-night,"  Phineas  Duge  answered. 

There  was  an  unexpected  sound  of  voices  out- 
side in  the  hall.  Phineas  Duge  looked  toward  the 
door  with  a  frown  upon  his  face. 

*  What  is  that  ?  "  he  asked  sharply. 
The  butler  was  perplexed. 

"  I  will  go  and  see,  sir,"  he  said.  "  It  sounds 
as  if  James  were  having  trouble  with  some  one." 

The  door  was  suddenly  opened.  Weiss  and 
Higgins  entered  quickly,  followed  by  the  pro- 
testing and  frightened  footman.  Phineas  Duge 


202  THE  GOVERNORS 

rose  from  his  seat,  and,  resting  one  hand  upon 
the  table,  peered  forward  at  the  two  men.  His 
face,  even  under  the  rose-shaded  electric  lamp, 
was  cold  and  set.  The  gleam  of  white  teeth  was 
visible  between  his  lips.  He  looked  like  a  man, 
metaphorically,  about  to  spring  upon  his  foes. 
One  hand  had  stolen  round  to  the  pocket  of  his 
dinner  coat,  and  was  holding  something  hard, 
but  to  him  very  comforting.  He  offered  no  word 
of  greeting.  He  uttered  no  exclamation  of  sur- 
prise. He  simply  waited. 

"  These  gentlemen  pushed  past  me  in  the  hall, 
sir,"  the  footman  explained,  deprecatingly.  "  My 
back  was  turned  only  for  a  moment,  and  Wilkins 
was  down  having  his  supper." 

"  You  can  go,"  Phineas  Duge  said  coldly, 
waving  him  out  of  the  room.  '  What  do  you 
want  with  me,  Weiss  ?  " 

"  A  few  minutes'  sensible  talk,"  Weiss  an- 
swered. "  It  will  do  you  no  harm  to  listen  to  us. 
Send  your  servant  away  and  give  us  a  quarter  of 
an  hour." 

Phineas  Duge  hesitated,  but  only  for  a  moment. 
These  men  had  come  openly,  and  they  were 
known  to  be  his  enemies.  It  was  not  possible 
that  they  intended  to  use  any  violence.  He 
turned  to  the  butler,  who  stood  behind  his  chair. 

"  Place  chairs  for  these  gentlemen,"  he  ordered, 
"  and  leave  the  room." 

They  sat  on  his  left-hand  side.     Phineas  Duge 


A  NEW  VENTURE  203 

pushed  the  decanter  of  Burgundy  toward  them, 
and  the  cigars.  Then  he  leaned  back  in  his  chair 
and  waited. 

"  Duge,  we  ought  to  have  come  to  you  before," 
Weiss  began.  '  We  are  playing  a  child's  game, 
all  of  us." 

"  Whatever  the  game  may  be,"  Duge  answered, 
"  it  is  not  I  who  invented  it." 

"  We  grant  that  to  start  with,"  Weiss  answered. 
'  We  were  in  the  wrong.  You  have  done  a  little 
better  than  hold  your  own  against  us.  We  are 
several  millions  of  dollars  the  poorer  and  you  the 
richer  for  our  split.  Let  it  go  at  that.  We  have 
other  things  to  think  about  just  now  besides  this 
juggling  with  markets.  I  take  it  that  we  are  none 
of  us  particularly  anxious  to  learn  what  the  in- 
terior of  a  police  court  looks  like." 

Phineas  Duge  madenomotion  of  assent  or  dissent. 
'  You  refer,"  he  said,  "  to  the  action  against 
the  Trusts  which  the  President  is  supposed  to  be 
supporting  so  vigorously  ?  " 

Weiss  nodded. 

'  The  thing's  further  advanced  than  we  were 
any  of  us  inclined  to  believe,"  he  answered. 
"  Every  one  of  us  is  interested  in  this,  you  more 
than  any  of  us.  If  Harrison's  Bill  passes  the 
Senate,  we  are  liable  to  imprisonment  at  any 
moment.  We  are  up  against  it  hard,  Duge,  and 
we  can't  face  it  as  we  ought  while  we're  squab- 
bling amongst  ourselves  like  a  set  of  children." 


204  THE  GOVERNORS 

f<  You  propose  then,"  Phineas  Duge  said  slowly, 
*  to  close  our  accounts  on  a  mutual  basis  ?" 

"  Precisely!  "  Weiss  answered.  "  You  have 
had  the  best  of  it,  and  it  might  be  our  turn  to- 
morrow, so  you  can  well  afford  to  do  this.  We 
want  to  rest  on  our  oars  for  a  time,  while  we  look 
round  and  face  this  new  danger." 

'  Very  well,"  Phineas  Duge  said,  "  I  agree. 
We  will  meet  at  your  office  to-morrow  and  bring 
our  brokers.  I  am  quite  willing  to  end  this  fight. 
It  was  not  I  who  began  it.** 

Higgins  drew  a  little  breath  of  relief.  He  was 
perhaps  the  poorest  of  the  group,  and  it  was  his 
stock  which  Duge  had  been  handling  so  roughly. 

"Thank  heavens!"  he  said.  "Now  we  can 
have  a  moment's  breathing  time,  to  see  what  we 
can  do  for  these  fellows  who  want  to  teach  us  how 
to  manage  our  affairs." 

"  In  the  first  place,"  Weiss  said,  "  what  about 
that  paper  we  signed  ?  I  can  understand  your 
wanting  to  hold  it  over  us  while  we  were  at  war. 
It  was  a  fair  weapon,  and  you  had  a  right  to  it, 
but  now  we  are  united  again  you  can  see,  of 
course,  that  although  your  name  isn't  on  it,  it 
would  practically  mean  ruin  to  our  interests  if 
the  other  side  once  got  hold  of  it." 

"  If  I  had  that  paper,"  Duge  said  quietly,  "  I 
would  tear  it  up  at  this  moment,  but  I  regret  to 
say  that  I  have  not.  It  was  stolen  during  my 
illness." 


A  NEW  VENTURE  205 

"  We  know  that,"  Weiss  answered.  '  We 
know  even  in  whose  hands  it  is." 

Phineas  Duge  looked  up  inquiringly. 

"  Norris  Vine  has  it,"  Weiss  continued.  '  We 
have  offered  him  a  million,  but  he  declines  to 
sell.  He  would  have  used  it  for  his  paper 
before  now,  and  we  should  have  been  on  the 
other  side  of  the  ocean,  but  for  the  fact  that  John 
Drayton  advised  him  not  to.  Now  he  has  taken 
it  with  him  to  London.  He  is  going  to  ask 
Deane's  advice.  At  any  moment  the  thing  may 
come  flashing  back.  We  may  wake  up  to  find 
a  copy  of  that  document  in  black  and  white  in 
every  paper  in  New  York  State." 

'  You  have  offered  him  a  reasonable  sum  for 
it,"  Phineas  Duge  said, "  and  he  declines  to  sell. 
Very  well,  what  do  you  propose  to  do  ?  " 

"  It  was  stolen  from  you,"  Weiss  said.  "  He 
may  justly  decline  to  treat  with  us;  but  it  is  your 
property,  and  you  have  a  right  to  it." 

*  You  propose,  then  ?  "  Phineas  Duge  asked. 
'  That  you  should  catch  the  Kaiserin  to 
London  to-morrow,"  Higgins  said,  "  and  find 
out  this  man  Vine.  The  rest  we  are  content  to 
leave  with  you,  but  I  think  that  if  you  try  you  will 
get  it." 

Phineas  Duge  sat  quite  still  for  several  mo- 
ments. He  sipped  his  wine  thoughtfully,  threw 
his  cigar,  which  had  gone  oil't,  into  the  fire,  and 
lit  a  cigarette.  He  appreciated  the  force  of  the 


2o6  THE  GOVERNORS 

suggestion,  and  a  trip  to  Europe  was  by  no  means 
distasteful  to  him,  but  he  was  not  a  man  to  decide 
upon  anything  of  this  sort  without  reflection. 

"  A  week  ago,"  he  said  softly,  "  even  a  day  ago, 
and  my  absence  from  New  York  would  have 
meant  ruin.  If  I  leave  the  country  to-morrow, 
and  trust  myself  upon  the  ocean  for  six  days,  what 
guarantee  have  I  that  you  will  keep  to  any  ar- 
rangement which  we  might  make  to-morrow  ?  " 

"  We  will  sign  affidavits,"  Weiss  declared, 
"  that  we  will  not,  directly  or  indirectly,  enter 
into  any  operations  in  any  one  of  our  stocks  during 
your  absence,  except  for  your  profit  as  well  as  our 
own.  We  will  execute  a  deed  of  partnership  as 
regards  any  transactions  which  we  might  enter 
into  during  your  absence." 

Phineas  Duge  nodded  thoughtfully. 

"  I  suppose,"  he  said,  "  we  might  be  able  to  fix 
things  up  that  way.  I  should  be  glad  enough  to 
get  the  paper  back  again,  but  Vine  is  not  an  easy 
man  to  deal  with,  and  he  is  pleased  to  call  himself 
my  enemy." 

"  The  men  who  have  called  themselves  that," 
Higgins  remarked  grimly,  "  have  generally  been 
sorry  for  it." 

"  And  so  may  he,"  Phineas  Duge  answered, 
"  but  I  am  not  sure  that  his  time  has  come  yet. 
You  must  let  me  think  this  over,  gentlemen,  until 
to-morrow  morning.  I  will  meet  you  with  my 
broker  and  lawyer  at  ten  o'clock  at  your  office, 


A  NEW  VENTURE  207 

Weiss,  and  if  I  make  up  my  mind  to  go  to  Europe, 
my  luggage  will  be  on  the  steamer  by  that  time. 
On  the  whole  I  might  tell  you  that  I  am  inclined 
to  go/' 

Weiss  drew  a  great  breath  of  relief.  He  poured 
himself  out  a  glass  of  wine  and  drank  it  off. 

"  It's  good  to  hear  you  say  that,  Duge,"  he 
said.  "  I  tell  you  we  have  come  pretty  near  being 
scared  the  last  week  or  so.  I  feel  a  lot  more  com- 
fortable fighting  with  you  in  the  ranks." 

Phineas  Duge  forbore  from  all  recrimination. 
He  filled  Higgins'  glass  and  his  own.  He  could 
afford  to  be  magnanimous.  He  had  fought  them 
one  against  four,  and  they  had  come  to  him  for 
mercy! 

*  We  will  drink,"  he  said,  "  to  the  new  Presi- 
dent. This  one  has  tilted  against  the  windmills 
once  too  often.  He  must  learn  his  lesson." 


CHAPTER  XI 

CONSCIENCE 

"V71RGINIA  slept  little  that  night.  Her  room, 
one  of  the  smallest  and  least  expensive  in 
the  cosmopolitan  boarding-house  where  she  was 
staying,  was  high  up,  almost  in  an  attic.  The 
windows  were  small,  and  opened  with  difficulty. 
The  heat,  combined  with  her  own  restlessness, 
made  the  weary  hours  one  long  nightmare  for  her. 
Early  in  the  morning  she  rose  and  sat  in  front 
of  the  little  window,  looking  out  across  the  wilder- 
ness of  house-tops,  where  a  pall  of  smoke  seemed 
to  convert  to  luminous  chaos  the  rising  sun. 
There  was  a  lump  in  her  throat,  and  gathering 
tears  in  her  eyes.  It  seemed  to  her  that  no  one 
could  ever  realize  a  loneliness  more  absolute  and 
complete  than  hers.  She  thought  of  the  early 
summer  mornings  in  that  tiny  farmhouse  perched 
on  the  side  of  the  lonely  valley,  where  the  air  at 
least  was  clear  and  pure  and  bright,  musical  with 
the  song  of  birds,  and  the  west  wind  which  stirred 
always  in  the  pine-woods  behind  heralded  the 
coming  morning.  If  only  she  could  have  dropped 
from  her  shoulders  the  burden  of  the  last  few 
months,  and  found  herself  back  there  once  more. 


CONSCIENCE  209 

Then  a  pang  of  remorse  shook  her  heart.  She 
remembered  the  happiness  which  through  her  had 
come  to  those  whom  she  loved,  and  the  thought 
was  like  a  tonic  to  her.  She  forgot  her  own 
sorrows,  she  forgot  that  dim  tremendous  feeling, 
which  had  shown  through  her  life  for  a  minute 
or  two,  only  to  pass  away  and  leave  behind  long- 
ings and  regrets  which  were  in  themselves  a  con- 
stant pain.  She  forgot  everything  except  the 
thought  of  what  it  might  mean  to  those  others 
who  were  dear  to  her  if  she  should  fail  in  her  task. 
Her  face  seemed  suddenly  aged  as  she  sat  there, 
crushing  down  the  sweeter  things,  clenching  her 
fingers  upon  the  window-sill,  and  telling  herself 
that  at  any  cost  she  must  succeed,  hopeless 
though  the  task  might  seem. 

Presently  she  began  to  move  about  the  room 
and  collect  her  clothes.  At  half-past  nine  she  had 
left  the  boarding-house  and  departed  without 
leaving  any  address  behind  her.  At  ten  o'clock 
a  great  automobile  swung  round  the  corner, 
stopped  before  the  door,  and  Mr.  Mildmay 
descended  and  ran  lightly  up  the  steps.  Miss 
Longworth  had  gone  away,  he  was  told  by  the 
shabby  German  waiter  in  soiled  linen  coat  and 
greasy  black  trousers.  She  had  left  no  address. 
She  had  left  no  message  for  any  one  who  might 
be  calling  for  her.  The  largest  tip  which  he  had 
ever  received  could  only  send  him  into  the  inner 
regions  to  interview  the  proprietress,  who  came 


210  THE  GOVERNORS 

out  and  confirmed  his  words.     Mildmay  turned 
slowly  around  and  drove  away. 

Stella  and  Norris  Vine  lunched  together  that 
day  in  a  small  West  End  restaurant.  He  had 
telephoned  asking  her  to  come,  and  she  had  at 
once  thrown  over  another  engagement.  They 
were  scarcely  seated  before  he  asked  her  a 
question. 

"  Do  you  know  that  your  cousin  is  in  London  ?" 

"  What!     Virginia  ?  "  Stella  exclaimed. 

He  nodded,  and  Stella  was  genuinely  amazed. 

"  Whom  did  she  come  with  ?  "  she  asked. 
"  What  does  she  want  here  ?  " 

"  She  came  alone,  poor  little  thing,"  he  an- 
swered, "  and  on  a  wild-goose  chase.  I  never 
heard  anything  so  pathetic  in  my  life.  She 
ought  to  be  in  short  frocks,  playing  with  her  dolls, 
and  she  has  come  here  four  thousand  miles  to  a 
city  she  knows  nothing  of,  to  steal  back  —  well, 
you  know  what.  One  could  laugh  if  it  were  not 
so  pathetic." 

"Little  fool!"  Stella  said,  half  contemptu- 
ously, and  yet  with  a  note  of  regret  in  her  tone. 

"  I  thought,  perhaps,"  Vine  said,  "  you  might 
find  out  where  she  is  and  go  and  talk  common 
sense  to  her.  If  there  is  anything  else  we  can  do, 
I'd  like  to,  only  I  hate  the  thought  of  a  pretty 
child  like  that  wandering  about  London  on  such 
an  absurd  quest." 


CONSCIENCE  211 

"  Do  you  know  where  she  is  to  be  found  ?  " 
Stella  asked  quietly. 

"  I  have  no  idea,"  Vine  answered.  '  The 
last  time  I  saw  her  was  in  my  own  rooms.  I  am 
only  sorry  that  I  let  her  go." 

Stella  looked  up  at  him  quickly. 

'Your  own  rooms!"  she  repeated.  'What 
do  you  mean  ?  " 

'  Well,"  he  answered,  "  with  the  extraordinary 
luck  which  comes  sometimes  to  babies,  she  over- 
heard two  men  talking  about  me  and  arranging 
to  meet  at  a  certain  hour  at  my  flat.  She  actually 
had  the  nerve  to  be  there  herself  at  the  same  time. 
While  she  sat  in  my  sitting-room,  they  waited  in 
the  bedroom.  Mind,  a  great  part  of  this  may 
be  her  invention.  I  have  only  her  word  for  it, 
but  she  certainly  seemed  as  though  she  were 
telling  the  truth.  I  rang  up  for  some  one  to 
bring  me  a  change  of  clothes,  and  she  answered 
the  telephone.  What  she  said  to  me  sounded 
such  rank  nonsense  that  I  jumped  in  a  hansom 
and  went  straight  back  to  my  rooms.  However, 
the  men  who  were  listening  gathered  from  what 
she  said  that  I  was  not  coming  back,  and  they 
gave  it  up  and  stole  out.  When  I  returned  I 
found  her  waiting  there,  and  she  demanded  that 
I  should  give  her  up  the  paper  she  wanted  as  a 
matter  of  gratitude." 

"  Do  you  believe  her  story  ?  "  Stella  asked. 

'*  I  don't  know,"  he  answered.     "  I  know  that 


212  THE  GOVERNORS 

I  am  being  followed  about,  and  if  she  could  get 
into  my  rooms,  it  is  quite  as  easy  for  them  to  do 
so.  They  may  have  been  there,  and  I  dare  say 
that  if  I  had  entered  unsuspectingly,  and  Dan 
Prince  had  anything  to  do  with  it,  I  shouldn't 
have  had  much  chance.  It  amused  me  to  see 
all  my  drawers  turned  out  and  my  papers  dis- 
turbed." 

"  Little  idiot!  "  Stella  said  impatiently.  "  She 
ought  to  be  at  home,  feeding  her  father's 
chickens.  She  is  hopelessly  out  of  place  here, 
just  as  she  was  in  New  York." 

"  I  wish  we  could  send  her  back  there,"  Vine 
declared. 

Stella  looked  at  him  with  raised  eyebrows. 

"  My  dear  Norris,"  she  said,  "  isn't  this  rather 
a  new  departure  for  you  ?  I  don't  seem  to 
recognize  you  in  this  frame  of  mind." 

He  sipped  his  wine  thoughtfully  for  a  minute 
or  two,  and  helped  himself  to  some  curry. 

"  I  believe  after  all,  Stella,"  he  said,  "  that  you 
know  very  little  about  me.  I  am  naturally  a 
most  tender-hearted  person." 

*  You  have  managed,"  she  remarked  drily,  "  to 
conceal  your  weakness  most  effectively." 

"  A  journalist,"  he  reminded  her,  "  is  used  to 
conceal  them.  Without  the  arts  of  lying  and 
acting,  we  might  as  well  abandon  our  profession. 
Seriously,  Stella,  I  am  sorry  for  the  child.  I  wish 
you  could  find  her  and  pack  her  off  home." 


CONSCIENCE  213 

Stella  shrugged  her  shoulders. 

"  In  the  first  place,"  she  said,  "  I  have  no  idea 
where  to  look;  and  in  the  second,  she  is  one  of 
those  obstinate  children  who  never  do  what  they 
are  told,  or  see  reason." 

"  I  admit,"  he  replied,  "  that  finding  her  is 
rather  a  difficulty,  but  after  all,  you  see,  it  is  you 
directly,  and  I  indirectly,  who  are  responsible  for 
her  troubles.  I  think  we  ought  to  do  what  we 
can.  I  wish  I  hadn't  let  her  go  the  other  night." 

"  I  am  becoming,"  Stella  said,  smiling,  "  a 
little  jealous  of  my  cousin." 

He  looked  at  her  with  steady  scrutiny,  as  though 
he  were  curious  to  decide  how  much  of  truth 
there  might  be  in  her  words. 

*  You  have  no  need,  my  dear  Stella,"  he  said, 
"  to  be  jealous  of  Virginia  or  any  other  girl. 
This  is  simply  the  dying  kick  of  a  nearly  finished 
conscience." 

"  If  I  come  across  her,"  Stella  said,  "  I  will  do 
what  I  can.  If  you  see  her  again,  and  I  should 
think  you  are  the  more  likely,  find  out  her  address 
and  I  will  go  and  see  her.  By  the  by,"  she  added, 
leaning  across  the  table  towards  him,  "  you  seem 
very  confident  of  preserving  it.  Tell  me,  where 
do  you  keep  that  paper  ?  " 

He  smiled. 

"Ah!"  he  said.  "All  my  secrets  save  one 
are  yours,  but  I  think  that  that  one  I  will  not  tell 
you." 


214  THE  GOVERNORS 

She  frowned  at  him,  obviously  annoyed. 

"  Do  you  mean  that  ?  "  she  asked.  "  Surely 
you  do  not  hesitate  to  trust  me  ? ;> 

"  Not  for  one  moment,"  he  answered.  "  On 
the  other  hand,  the  knowledge  of  a  thing  of  that 
sort  is  better  in  as  few  hands  as  possible.  You 
will  be  none  the  better  for  knowing.  Circum- 
stances might  arise  to  make  even  the  knowledge 
an  embarrassment  to  you.  Take  my  advice, 
and  do  not  ask  me  that  question." 

Stella's  face  had  grown  darker. 

"  It  is  I,"  she  said,  "  whom  you  have  to  thank 
for  the  possession  of  it.  Considering  that  you  go 
in  danger  every  moment,  I  think  that  some  one 
else  save  yourself  should  share  in  the  knowledge 
of  what  you  have  done  with  it." 

"  Let  me  recommend,"  he  said,  studying  the 
menu  for  a  moment  with  his  horn-rimmed  eye- 
glass, "  an  artichoke  with  sauce  mayonnaise,  or 
would  you  prefer  asparagus  ?  " 

:*  I  should  prefer,"  she  insisted,  "  an  answer  to 
my  question." 

He  looked  at  her  steadily.  His  face  was  ut- 
terly impassive,  his  forefinger  was  tapping  lightly 
upon  the  table-cloth.  It  was  a  look  which  she 
knew  very  well. 

'  The  knowledge  of  where  that  paper  is,  Stella, 
would  do  you  no  good,"  he  declared.  "  Forgive 
me,  but  I  do  not  intend  to  tell  a  soul." 

They  finished  their  luncheon  almost  in  silence. 


CONSCIENCE  215 

She  only  once  recurred  to  the  subject. 

"  Perhaps,"  she  said,  looking  quietly  up  at 
him,  "  as  your  conscience  is  growing  so  suscep- 
tible, you  will  think  it  right  to  restore  that  paper 
to  my  little  cousin.  Those  are  wonderful  eyes, 
of  hers,  you  know,  now  she  has  learnt  to  use 
them  a  little." 

Norris  Vine  did  not  answer,  and  they  parted 
with  the  briefest  of  farewells. 


CHAPTER  XII 

DUKE    OF    MOWBRAY 

7  I AHIS  time  Mildmay  was  angry.     He  showed 
A       it    alike    in    his    speech    and    expression. 
Virginia  looked  at  him  like  a  terrified  child. 

"  So,  Virginia,"  he  said,  "  I  have  found  you 
at  last!" 

*  What  do  you  want  ?  "  she  asked  breathlessly. 

He  looked  at  her  for  quite  thirty  seconds 
without  replying.  Her  eyes  fell  before  his.  More 
than  ever  she  felt  the  shame  of  her  position. 

'  What    do   I   want  ? "    he   repeated,    a    little 
bitterly.  *  You  ask  me  that,  Virginia,  seri- 

ously ?  " 

She  covered  her  face  with  her  hands. 

"  Oh!  please  go  away,"  she  said.  "  It  is  not 
kind  of  you  to  come  here." 

"  I  do  not  mean  to  be  unkind,"  he  answered, 
"  but  I  want  to  understand.  Why  did  you  leave 
your  boarding-house  in  Russell  Street  and  run 
away  from  me  ?  " 

"  It  was  not  only  to  run  away  from  you,"  she 
answered.  *  There  were  other  reasons." 

'  Why  should  you  wish  to  run  away  from  me 
at  all  ?"  he  asked. 


DUKE  OF  MOWBRAY  217 

"  Because,"  she  answered,  "  I  am  afraid,  and 
you  ask  me  things  which  are  impossible." 

"  What  are  you  afraid  of?  "  he  asked. 

"  Of  myself,  of  you,  of  everything,"  she  mur- 
mured pathetically. 

Virginia  was  a  little  worn  out.  Day  after  day 
of  disappointment  had  tried  her  sorely.  He  felt 
himself  softening,  but  he  showed  no  signs  of  it  in 
his  face. 

"  Is  there  anywhere  here  where  we  can  talk  ?  " 
he  asked.  '  You  have  rooms  in  the  building, 
have  you  not  ?  Are  you  alone  ?  " 

He  could  have  bitten  his  tongue  out  for  that 
question,  but  its  significance  never  occurred  to 
her. 

'  Yes!  "  she  answered.     "  Since  you  are  here, 
perhaps  you  had  better  come  in.' 

They  had  met  on  the  landing  of  the  fifth  floor 
of  Coniston  Mansions.  She  led  him  down  the 
corridor,  and,  opening  a  door,  ushered  him  into 
a  tiny  sitting-room. 

"  How  did  you  find  me  out  ?  "  she  asked. 

"  I  saw  you  dining  at  Luigi's  yesterday  and 
to-day,"  he  answered  sternly.  '  You  were  with 
the  same  man  both  times.  I  followed  you  yester- 
day. You  both  came  back  here.  To-day  you 
came  back  alone.  Is  this  man  your  brother  ?  " 

"  No!  "  she  answered. 
'  Your  cousin  ?     Is  he  any  relation  to  you  ?  " 

"  No!  "  she  repeated. 


218  THE  GOVERNORS 

"Who  is  he,  then?" 

"  A  friend,"  she  answered,  "  or  an  enemy 
perhaps.  What  does  it  matter  to  you  ?  " 

He  looked  at  her  steadfastly.  She  was  dressed 
in  white  muslin,  and  she  wore  a  big  black  hat 
without  any  touch  of  colour.  Her  clothes  were 
those  which  her  uncle  had  ordered  in  New  York. 
She  was  slim  and  dainty  and  elegant,  and  he 
found  it  hard  indeed  to  keep  his  heart  steeled 
against  her. 

"  How  can  you  ask  me  that,  Virginia  ?  "  he 
replied.  "  Have  you  forgotten  that  I  have  asked 
you  to  marry  me  ?  " 

"  And  I  have  told  you  that  I  cannot,"  she 
replied  desperately.  "  I  cannot  and  I  will  not. 
You  have  no  right  to  come  here  and  worry  me." 

"  So  my  coming  does  worry  you  ?  "  he  asked. 

"  Yes!  "  she  answered  desperately,  "  you  know 
that  it  does." 

"  Virginia,"  he  said,  "  what  is  this  man's 
name  ?  " 

"  It  is  no  concern  of  yours,"  she  answered. 

"  Are  you  in  love  with  him  ?  " 

"  I  shall  not  tell  you,"  she  said. 

"  Is  he  in  love  with  you  ?  " 

"  If  you  ask  me  any  more  such  questions,  I 
shall  go  into  my  room  and  lock  the  door,"  she 
declared. 

Mildmay  took  a  turn  up  and  down  the  little 
apartment.  The  child  was  obdurate,  yet  all  the 


DUKE  OF  MOWBRAY  219 

time  he  seemed  to  read  her  soft  frightened  eyes. 

'  Virginia,"  he  said  suddenly,  stopping  in  front 
of  her,  "  I  have  the  license  in  my  pocket.  Won't 
you  come  out  with  me  and  be  married  ?  " 

"  No!  "  she  answered,  "  I  will  not." 

"Think!  "  he  begged  her.  "  It  would  be  so 
easy.  We  could  walk  out  of  this  place  together, 
and  in  an  hour's  time  you  would  have  some  one 
else  to  take  your  little  troubles  on  their  shoulders. 
Don't  you  think  that  mine  are  broad  enough, 
little  gi'rl  ?  " 

"  Please  don't!  "  she  begged.  "  I  cannot.  I 
wish  you  would  not  ask  me." 

"  I  don't  know  whether  it  makes  any  differ- 
ence," he  said,  after  a  moment's  hesitation,  "  but 
I  have  plenty  of  money.  In  fact  I  am  very  rich. 
If  there  is  any  possible  way  in  which  money  could 
help  your  troubles,  they  would  soon  be  over." 

"  Oh !  I  know  that  you  have,"  she  answered. 
"  It  is  not  that." 

He  looked  at  her  fixedly. 

'  You  know  that  I  have  ?  Perhaps  you  know 
who  I  am  ?  " 

"  I  do,"  she  answered.  '  You  are  Guy 
Mildmay,  Duke  of  Mowbray." 

He  was  taken  aback. 

"  How  did  you  find  that  out  ?  "  he  asked. 

"  On  the  steamer,"  she  answered,  "  the  last  few 
days.  People  got  to  know,  I  am  not  sure  how, 
and  in  any  case  it  does  not  matter." 


220  THE  GOVERNORS 

A  light  began  to  break  in  upon  him. 

"  I  believe,"  he  said,  "  that  it  is  because  you 
know  you  will  not  marry  me.*' 

"  Oh!  it  isn't  only  that,"  she  answered.  "  It 
is  utterly,  absolutely  impossible.  My  people  live 
on  a  little  farm  in  America,  and  have  barely 
enough  money  to  live  on.  We  are  terribly  poor." 

He  frowned  for  a  moment  thoughtfully.  He 
was  looking  at  her  expensive  clothes.  He  did 
not  understand. 

"  And  besides,"  she  continued,  "  there  is 
another  reason  why  I  should  never  think  of  it. 
Now,  please,  won't  you  believe  me  and  go  away  ? 
It  is  not  kind  of  you  to  make  it  so  difficult  for  me." 

*  Very  well,  Virginia,"  he  said  quietly,  "  for 
the  present  I  will  ask  you  no  more.  But  can  you 
tell  me  any  reason  why  I  should  not  be  your 
friend  ?  " 

"  None  at  all,"  she  answered.  *  You  can  be 
what  you  like,  if  you  will  only  go  away  and  leave 
me  alone." 

"  That,"  he  answered,  "  is  not  my  idea  of 
friendship.  If  we  are  friends,  I  have  the  right 
to  help  you  in  your  troubles,  whatever  they  may 
be." 

"  That,"  she  declared,  "  is  impossible." 

Then  he  began  to  realize  that  this  child,  with 
her  soft  great  eyes,  her  delightful  mouth,  her 
girlish  face,  which  ever  since  he  had  first  seen  it 
had  seemed  to  him  the  prototype  of  all  that  was 


DUKE  OF  MOWBRAY  221 

gentle  and  lovable,  possessed  a  strength  of  char- 
acter incredible  in  one  of  her  years  and  appear- 
ance. He  realized  that  he  was  only  distressing 
her  by  his  presence.  The  timidity  of  her  manner 
was  no  sign  of  weakness,  and  there  was  finality 
even  in  that  earnest  look  which  she  had  fixed  upon 
him. 

'  You  decline  me  as  a  husband  then,  Virginia," 
he  said,  "  and  you  decline  me  as  a  friend.  You 
want  to  have  nothing  more  to  do  with  me.  Very 
well,  I  will  go  away." 

She  drew  a  sharp  breath  between  her  teeth, 
and  if  he  noticed  it  he  made  no  sign.  He  drew  a 
paper  from  his  pocket  and  calmly  tore  it  into 
pieces. 

'  That,"  he  said,  "  was  the  paper  which  was 
to  have  made  us  happy.  Good-bye!  " 

"  Good-bye!  "  she  gasped,  tearfully. 

He  laughed  as  he  took  her  into  his  arms.  She 
did  not  make  the  least  resistance. 

"  You  little  idiot!  "  he  said.  "  Do  you  know 
that  I  very  nearly  went  ?  " 

Her  head  was  buried  upon  his  shoulder,  and  she 
was  not  in  the  position  for  a  moment  to  make  any 
reply, 


CHAPTER  XIII 

AN   INTRODUCTION 

T  TE  helped  Virginia  to  descend  from  the  auto- 
*•  •*•  mobile,  and  led  her  up  the  steps  in  front 
of  the  great  house  in  Grosvenor  Square. 

"  You  are  not  frightened,  dear  ? "  he  asked. 

"  I  am  terrified  to  death,"  she  answered  frankly. 
He  touched  her  hand  reassuringly. 

"  Silly  child!  "  he  said.  "  I  am  sure  you  will 
like  my  aunt." 

The  door  flew  open  before  them.  A  footman 
stood  aside  to  let  them  pass.  An  elderly  servant 
in  plain  black  clothes  came  hurrying  down  from 
a  little  office. 

"  I  trust  that  your  Grace  is  well  ?  "  he  said. 

"  Very  well  indeed,  thank  you,  Jameson," 
Mildmay  said.  "  Is  my  aunt  in  ?  " 

"  Her  ladyship  is  in  the  morning-room,  your 
Grace,"  the  man  answered,  with  an  almost  im- 
perceptible glance  towards  Virginia.  "  Shall  I 
announce  you  ?  " 

"  Is  she  alone  ?  "  Mildmay  asked. 

"  For  the  moment,  yes,  your  Grace,"  the  man 
answered. 

Guy  led  Virginia  across  the  hall,  knocked  at  a 


AN  INTRODUCTION  223 

door  and  entered.  A  tall,  grey-haired  lady  was 
sitting  on  a  sofa  with  a  tea-tray  by  her  side.  She 
was  very  good-looking,  and  absurdly  like  Mild- 
may,  to  whom  she  held  out  her  right  hand.  Guy 
stooped  and  raised  it  to  his  lips. 

"  My  dear  aunt,"  he  said,  "  can  you  stand  a 
shock  ? " 

'  That  depends,"  she  answered,  glancing  at 
Virginia.  "  My  nerves  are  not  what  they  were, 
you  know.  However,  go  on." 

"  I  am  trying  you  rather  high,  I  know,"  he  said, 
"  but  there  are  reasons  for  it  which  I  can  explain 
later  on.  I  have  brought  a  young  lady  to  see  you, 
Miss  Virginia  Longworth.  I  want  you  to  like 
her  very  much,  because  she  has  promised  to  be 
my  wife." 

Lady  Medlincourt  held  out  her  hand,  long  and 
slim  and  delicate,  and  made  room  for  Virginia 
by  her  side  on  the  sofa. 

"  How  are  you,  my  dear  ? "  she  said  quite 
calmly.  '  Will  you  have  some  tea  ?  It's  beastly, 
I  know,  been  standing  for  hours,  but  Guy  can 
ring  for  some  fresh.  So  you  are  really  going  to 
marry  my  nephew  ?  " 

Virginia  raised  her  eyes,  and  looked  for  a  mo- 
ment into  the  face  of  the  woman  who  sat  by  her 
side. 

'Yes,  Lady  Medlincourt,"  she  answered;  "I 
do  hope  you  will  not  be  angry." 

"  Angry!     My  dear  child,  I  am  never  angry," 


224  THE  GOVERNORS 

Lady  Medlincourt  declared.  "  I  have  arrived 
at  that  time  in  life  when  one  cannot  afford  the 
luxury  of  giving  way  to  emotion.  You  won't 
mind  my  asking  you  a  few  questions,  though,  both 
of  you.  To  begin  with,  I  do  not  know  your  name. 
Who  are  you  ?  " 

Guy  leaned  a  little  forward. 

"  She  will  be  Duchess  of  Mowbray  in  a  very 
short  time,  aunt,"  he  said.  "  Please  don't  forget 
that." 

Lady  Medlincourt  raised  her  eyebrows. 

"  Bless  the  boy!  "  she  exclaimed.  "  As  though 
I  were  likely  to!  I  can  feel  it  go  shivering  down 
my  backbone  all.  the  time.  Sit  here  for  a  mo- 
ment, both  of  you.  I  am  going  to  give  Jameson 
orders  myself  not  to  admit  any  one  for  a  little 
while." 

She  crossed  the  room  and  they  were  alone  for 
a  moment.  They  exchanged  quick  glances,  and 
Guy  laughed  at  the  consternation  in  Virginia's 
face. 

"  Don't   be   scared,    little   woman,"   he   said. 

*  You'll  get  on  all  right  with  my  aunt,  I  am  sure. 

She  is  a  little  odd  just  at  first,  and  she  hates  to 

show  any  feeling  about  anything,  but   she's    a 

thundering  good  sort." 

"  She  seems  just  a  little  casual,  doesn't  she  ?  " 
Virginia  asked  — "  rather  as  though  you  had 
brought  me  to  call  ?  " 

"  Don't  you  worry,  dear,"  he  answered,  smiling. 


AN  INTRODUCTION  225 

"  That's  only  her  manner.  Just  drink  your  tea 
and  you'll  feel  better." 

Virginia  shook  her  head. 

"  I  can't,  Guy,"  she  declared.  "  It's  just  too 
poisonous." 

"  I'll  ring  for  some  fresh,"  he  said,  moving 
toward  the  bell. 

"  Please  don't,"  she  begged.  "  I  hate  tea 
anyway.  Guy,  you  are  not  sorry,  are  you  ?  " 

He  took  her  hand  and  laughed  reassuringly. 

"  You  little  idiot!  "  he  said.  "  Do  you  want 
me  to  kiss  you  ?  " 

"  I  don't  much  care,"  Virginia  answered.  "  I 
have  a  sort  of  feeling  in  my  throat  that  I  want  — 
some  one  to  kiss  me.  You're  quite,  quite  sure 
that  whatever  your  aunt  may  say  you  will  never 
regret  this  ? " 

"  Absolutely,  positively  certain!  "  he  declared. 
"  And  you  ?  " 

"  It  isn't  the  same  thing  with  me,"  Virginia 
declared,  shaking  her  head.  "  I  am  not  going  to 
marry  a  pig  in  a  poke." 

"  It's  a  very  dear  little  pig,"  he  said,  resting  his 
hand  for  a  moment  upon  her  shoulder. 

Lady  Medlincourt  reappeared.  She  resumed 
her  seat,  and  motioned  Guy  to  sit  opposite  to  her. 

"  Now  we  shall  not  be  disturbed  for  at  least  a 
quarter  of  an  hour,"  she  said,  "  and  I  want  to 
hear  all  about  it.  You  are  very  pretty,  I  am  glad 
to  see,  dear,"  she  said,  looking  at  Virginia 


226  THE  GOVERNORS 

contemplatively.     "  I  hate  plain  girls.     What  did 
you  say  that  your  name  was  ?  " 

'Virginia  Longworth!  "  Virginia  answered, 
blushing. 

"  Quite  a  charming  name!  "  Lady  Medlincourt 
said,  shutting  her  eyeglasses  with  a  snap.  '  Tell 
me  all  about  her,  Guy." 

"  My  dear  aunt,"  he  answered,  laughing, 
"  we  aren't  married  yet." 

Lady  Medlincourt  nodded. 

"Ah!"  she  said.  "No  doubt  you'll  have 
plenty  to  discover  later  on.  Put  it  another  way. 
Tell  me  the  things  that  I  must  know  about  the 
Duchess  of  Mowbray." 

"  As  for  instance  ?  "  he  asked  quietly. 

"  Her  people,"  Lady  Medlincourt  said.     "  You 

are  American,  I  suppose,  child  ?  "  she  continued. 

'  You  have  very  little  accent,  but  I  fancy  that  I 

can  just  detect  it,  and  we  don't  see  eyes  like  yours 

in  England." 

*  Yes,  I  am  American,  Lady  Medlincourt," 
Virginia  answered. 

'  Who  are  your  people,  then  ?  "  Lady  Medlin- 
court asked.  '  Where  did  you  meet  ?  Who 
introduced  you  ?  Don't  look  at  one  another  like 
a  pair  of  stupids.  Remember  that,  however 
pointed  my  questions  may  sound,  they  are  things 
which  I  must  know  if  I  am  to  be  of  any  use  to 
you." 

Virginia  went  a  little  pale. 


AN  INTRODUCTION  227 

"  Lady  Medlincourt,"  she  said,  "  I  am  sorry, 
but  I  cannot  answer  any  questions  just  now." 

Lady  Medlincourt  drew  back  a  little  in  her 
place.  She  looked  at  the  girl  in  frank  amazement. 

"  What!  "  she  exclaimed. 

Guy  leaned  forward  in  his  chair. 

"  Dear  aunt,"  he  pleaded,  "  don't  think  that 
we  are  both  mad,  but  I  have  promised  Virginia 
that  she  shan't  be  bothered  with  questions  for  a 
short  time.  I  met  her  on  the  steamer  coming 
over  from  America,  and  that  is  all  we  can  tell  you 
just  now." 

Lady  Medlincourt  looked  from  one  to  the 
other.  She  was  more  than  a  trifle  bewildered. 

"  Bless  the  boy! "  she  exclaimed.  "  You 
don't  call  this  bothering  her  with  questions,  do 
you  ?  She  can  tell  me  about  her  people,  can't 
she  ?  " 

"  Her  people,"  he  answered  firmly,  "  are  going 
to  be  my  people." 

Lady  Medlincourt  gasped. 
'  You  have  known  her,  then,"  she  said,  "  about 
three  weeks  ?  " 

"  I  have  known  her  long  enough  to  realize  that 
she  is  the  girl  whom  I  have  been  waiting  for  all 
my  life." 

Lady  Medlincourt  shrugged  her  shoulders. 

"All  your  life!"   she  exclaimed   impatiently. 

'  Twenty-eight  silly  years !     Have  you  nothing 

more  to  say  to  me  than  this,  either  of  you  ?    Do 


228  THE  GOVERNORS 

you  seriously  mean  that  you  bring  this  very 
charming  young  lady  here,  and  ask  me  to  accept 
her  as  your  fiancee,  without  a  single  word  of  ex- 
planation as  to  her  antecedents,  who  she  is,  or 
where  she  came  from  ?  " 

Virginia  rose  to  her  feet. 

"  Guy,"  she  said,  turning  towards  him,  "  we 
ought  never  to  have  come  here.  Lady  Medlin- 
court  has  a  perfect  right  to  ask  these  questions. 
Until  we  can  answer  them  we  ought  to  go  away." 

Guy  took  her  hand  in  his. 

"  Aunt,"  he  said,  "  can't  you  trust  a  little  in 
my  judgment  ?  Look  at  her.  She  is  the  girl 
whom  I  love,  and  whom  I  am  going  to  trust  with 
my  name.  Can't  you  let  it  go  at  that  for  the 
present  ? " 

Lady  Medlincourt  shook  her  head. 

"  No,  I  cannot,  Guy!  "  she  said,  "  and  if  you 
weren't  a  silly  fool  you  would  not  ask  me.  The 
future  Duchess  of  Mowbray  has  to  explain  her 
position,  whether  she  is  a  gentlewoman  or  a 
chorus  girl.  There's  plenty  of  rope  for  her  now- 
adays. She  may  be  pretty  well  anything  she 
pleases,  but  she  must  be  some  one.  Don't  think 
I  am  a  brute,  dear,"  she  added,  turning  not  un- 
kindly to  Virginia.  "  I  like  your  appearance  all 
right,  and  I  dare  say  we  could  be  friends.  But 
if  you  wish  me  to  accept  you  as  my  nephew's 
future  wife,  you  must  remember  that  the  position 
which  he  is  giving  you  is  one  that  has  its  obliga- 


THEN   HE  CAMK  SLOWLY  BACK,  AXD  PUTTIXG  HIS  ARM  AROUND 
VIRGINIA'S  WAIST,  KISSED  HER.      Page  229 


AN  INTRODUCTION  229 

tions  as  well  as  its  pleasures.  You'll  have  to 
open  your  pretty  little  mouth,  or  I  am  afraid  I 
can't  do  anything  for  you." 

Virginia  turned  to  Guy. 

'  Your  aunt  is  quite  right,"  she  said.  "  I  know 
it  must  sound  very  foolish,  but  I  came  over  here 
on  an  errand  which  I  cannot  tell  any  one  about 
just  yet." 

*  That,  of  course,  is  for  you  to  decide,"  Lady 
Medlincourt  said,  rising,  "  but  I  wouldn't  be  silly 
about  it  if  I  were  you.  I  must  go  and  change  my 
gown,  as  I  have  some  people  coming  for  bridge. 
Supposing  you  show  her  the  house,  Guy,  and 
when  I  come  back  perhaps  both  of  you  may  have 
changed  your  minds  and  be  a  little  more  reason- 
able. Remember,"  she  added,  turning  to  Virginia, 
"  that  I  am  quite  serious  in  what  I  say.  It  will  give 
me  very  great  pleasure  to  be  of  any  possible  use  to 
the  affianced  wife  of  my  favourite  nephew,  but 
there  must  be  no  secrets.  I  hate  secrets,  espe- 
cially about  women.  If  your  father  is  a  market- 
gardener  it's  all  right,  so  long  as  you  can  explain 
exactly  who  you  are  and  where  you  came  from; 
but  there  must  be  no  mystery.  Talk  it  over  with 
her,  Guy.  I'll  look  in  here  on  my  way  out." 

She  nodded  a  little  curtly  but  not  unkindly, 
and  swept  toward  the  door,  which  Guy  opened 
and  closed  after  her.  Then  he  came  slowly 
back,  and,  putting  his  arm  around  Virginia's 
waist,  kissed  her. 


230  THE  GOVERNORS 

'  You  don't  want  to  see  the  house,  do  you  ?  " 
he  asked. 

Virginia  shook  her  head. 

"  Not  a  bit,"  she  answered.  "  I  think  that  we 
had  better  go  away." 

*  There  is  no  hurry,"  he  answered  slowly. 
*  We  may  as  well  stay  and  talk  it  over  a  bit. 
When  one  comes  to  think  of  it,  it  is  trying  the 
old  lady  pretty  high,  isn't  it  ?  Suppose  we  just- 
review  the  situation  for  a  minute  or  two.  Some- 
thing might  occur  to  us." 

Virginia  leaned  back  against  the  cushions. 

"  Certainly,"  she  answered.  '  You  review 
it  and  I'll  listen." 

"  Right!  "  Guy  answered.  "  I  met  you  first, 
then,  never  mind  exactly  how  long  ago,  on  the 
steamer  coming  from  America.  You  were  quite 
alone,  unescorted,  and  unchaperoned.  That 
in  itself,  as  of  course  you  know,  was  a  very  re- 
markable thing.  Nevertheless,  I  think  you  will 
admit  that  it  did  not  terrify  me.  We  became  — 
well,  pretty  good  friends,  didn't  we  ?  " 

"  I  think  we  did,"  she  admitted. 

"  Afterwards,"  he  continued,  "  we  met  again 
at  Luigi's  restaurant.  There  again  I  found  you 
alone,  in  a  restaurant  where  the  women  who 
know  what  they  are  doing  would  not  dream  of 
entering  without  a  proper  escort.  Forgive  me, 
but  I  want  you  to  understand  the  position  thor- 
oughly. I  saw,  of  course,  that  you  were  being 


AN  INTRODUCTION  231 

annoyed  by  the  attentions  of  almost  every  man 
who   entered   the   place,   and   in   my  very  best 
manner  I  came  over  and  made  a  suggestion." 
Virginia  sighed. 

*  You  did  it  very  nicely,"  she  murmured. 

"  I  rather  flatter  myself,"  he  continued,  "  that 
I  showed  tact.  I  asked  simply  to  be  allowed  to 
sit  at  your  table.  Before  we  had  finished  dinner 
I  asked  you,  for  the  second  time,  to  marry  me." 

"  That,"  she  declared/'was  distinctly  forward." 

*  You  will  remember  that  I  refused  to  discuss 
things  with  you  then.     I  told  you  that  I  was 
coming  for  you  the  next  morning,  and  I  mentioned 
what  I  thought  of  bringing  with  me.     When  I 
arrived  at  your  boarding-house  you  had  gone. 
You   left   no  word   nor   any  message.     I   don't 
consider  that  that  was  treating  me  nicely." 

"  It  wasn't,"  she  admitted,  "  but  you  have 
forgiven  me  for  it." 

He  nodded. 

"  Of  course  I  have.  Well,  a  few  nights  later 
I  saw  you  dining  with  a  man  whom  I  know 
slightly,  a  clever  fellow,  distinctly  a  man  of  the 
world.  You  were  dining  with  him  alone.  I 
followed  you  home  to  Coniston  Mansions.  Then 
I  came  away,  and  hesitated  for  some  time  whether 
to  get  drunk  or  go  for  a  swim  in  the  Thames. 
Eventually  I  went  home  to  bed." 

"  It  was  very  sensible,"  she  murmured. 
'  The  next  night,"  he  continued,   "  you  were 


232  THE  GOVERNORS 

dining  with  the  same  man  again,  only  this  time 
he  did  not  go  back  with  you  to  Coniston  Mansions. 
I  did,  and  before  I  left  you,  you  had  promised  to 
be  my  wife.  You  warned  me  to  ask  you  no  ques- 
tions, and  I  didn't.  I  know  as  little  of  you  now  as 
I  did  on  the  steamer.  I  know  that  this  man 
Norris  Vine  has  a  flat  within  a  few  yards  of  yours, 
and  in  the  same  building,  but  I  ask  no  questions. 
I  think  that  you  must  certainly  acquit  me  of  any- 
thing in  the  shape  of  undue  curiosity.  I  was 
content  to  know  that  I  had  fallen  in  love  with  the 
sweetest  little  girl  I  had  ever  set  eyes  on." 

She  pressed  his  hand  and  sighed. 

"  Guy,  you're  a  dear!  "  she  said. 

"  It  was  quite  sufficient  for  me,"  he  continued, 
"  that  you  are  what  you  are.  It  is  sufficient  for 
me  even  now.  The  trouble  is  that  it  won't  be 
sufficient  for  everybody.  You  can  see  that  for 
yourself,  dear,  can't  you  ? " 

Virginia  drew  a  little  away.  He  fancied  that  the 
hand  which  still  rested  in  his  was  growing  colder. 

"  I  suppose  so,"  she  murmured. 

"  I  am  glad  you  realize  that,"  Guy  said 
earnestly.  "  Now  look  here,  Virginia.  You 
saw  the  line  my  aunt  took.  There's  no  doubt 
that  from  a  certain  point  of  view  she's  right.  I 
wonder  whether,  under  the  circumstances,  it 
would  be  better  " —  he  hesitated,  and  looked  at 
her  for  a  moment  —  "  better  —  you  see  what  I 
mean,  don't  you  ? " 


AN  INTRODUCTION  233 

"  I  am  not  quite  sure,"  she  said.  "  Hadn't 
you  better  tell  me  ? " 

Guy  looked  at  her  in  surprise. 

"  Why,  that  was  just  what  I  thought  I  had 
done,"  he  declared.  '  What  I  mean  is  that  after 
all,  although  for  my  own  sake  I  wouldn't  ask  a 
question,  it  might  be  as  well  for  you  to  tell  my 
aunt  what  she  wants  to  know.  It  would  make 
things  much  more  comfortable." 

"  I  think  you  are  quite  right,"  Virginia  said 
softly. 

Guy  stooped  and  kissed  her. 

"  Dear  little  lady !  "  he  declared.  "  I'll  go  and 
tell  her,  and  bring  her  back." 

He  found  his  aunt  descending  the  stairs,  but 
when  they  reached  the  morning-room  it  was 
empty.  Guy  looked  around  in  surprise,  and 
stepped  out  into  the  hall.  Jameson  hurried  up 
to  him. 

'  The  young  lady  has  just  gone,  sir,"  he  said 
deferentially.  "  I  called  a  hansom  for  her  myself. 
She  seemed  rather  in  a  hurry." 

Guy  stood  for  a  moment  motionless. 

"  Do  you  happen  to  remember  the  address  she 
gave  you  ? "  he  asked  the  man. 

"  I  am  sorry,  your  Grace.     I  did  not  hear  it." 

Lady  Medlincourt  opened  the  door  of  the 
morning-room. 

"  I  think,  Guy,"  she  said,  "  you  had  better 
come  in  and  talk  to  me." 


CHAPTER  XIV 

ANOTHER   DISAPPEARANCE 

TT  was  between  half-past  four  and  five  o'clock 
•*•  in  the  morning,  and  London  for  the  most 
part  slept.  Down  in  the  street  below,  the  roar  of 
traffic,  which  hour  after  hour  had  grown  less  and 
less,  had  now  died  away.  Within  the  building 
itself  every  one  seemed  asleep.  Floor  after  floor 
looked  exactly  the  same.  The  lights  along  the 
corridors  were  burning  dimly.  Every  door  was 
closed  except  the  door  of  the  service-room,  in 
which  a  sleepy  waiter  lay  upon  a  couch  and 
dreamed  of  his  Fatherland.  The  lift  had  ceased 
to  run.  The  last  of  the  belated  sojourners  had 
tramped  his  way  up  the  carpeted  stairs.  On  the 
fifth  floor,  as  on  all  the  others,  a  complete  and 
absolute  silence  reigned. 

Suddenly  a  door  was  softly  opened.  Virginia, 
dressed  in  a  loose  gown,  and  wearing  felt  slippers 
which  sank  noiselessly  into  the  thick  carpet,  came 
slowly  out  from  her  room.  She  looked  all  around 
and  realized  the  complete  solitude  of  the  place. 
Then  she  crossed  the  corridor  swiftly,  and  without 
a  moment's  hesitation  fitted  the  key  which  she  was 


ANOTHER  DISAPPEARANCE      235 

carrying  in  her  hand  into  the  lock  of  Norris  Vine's 
room.  The  door  opened  noiselessly.  She  closed 
it  behind  her  and  paused  to  listen.  There  was 
not  a  sound  in  the  place,  and  the  door  on  the  left, 
which  led  into  the  sitting-room,  was  ajar.  She 
stepped  in,  and,  after  another  moment's  hesitation, 
closed  the  door  softly  behind  her  and  gently  raised 
the  blind.  The  sunlight  came  streaming  in.  There 
was  no  need  for  the  electric  light.  The  sitting 
room,  none  too  tidy,  showed  signs  of  its  owner's 
late  return.  There  was  a  silk  hat  and  a  pair  of 
white  kid  gloves  upon  the  table,  and  on  the  side- 
board a  half-empty  glass  of  whiskey  and  soda. 
Several  cigarette  ends  were  in  the  grate.  An 
evening  paper  lay  upon  the  hearthrug.  She 
knew  from  these  things  that  a  few  yards  away 
Norris  Vine  lay  sleeping. 

Without  hesitation,  with  swift  and  stealthy 
fingers,  she  commenced  a  close  and  careful 
scrutiny  of  every  inch  of  the  room.  In  a  quarter 
of  an  hour  she  had  satisfied  herself.  There  was 
no  hiding-place  left  which  could  possibly  have 
escaped  her.  The  more  dangerous  part  of  her 
enterprise  was  to  come.  Very  softly  she  opened 
the  door,  leaving  it  ajar  as  she  had  found  it.  She 
stood  before  the  closed  door  of  the  bedroom. 
Very  slowly,  and  with  the  tips  of  her  fingers,  she 
turned  the  handle.  It  opened  without  a  sound. 
She  had  no  garments  on  that  rustled,  and  the  soles 
of  her  slippers  were  of  thick  felt.  She  stood  inside 


236  THE  GOVERNORS 

the  room  without  having  made  the  slightest 
sound.  She  held  her  breath  for  a  moment,  and 
then  summoning  up  her  courage,  she  looked 
toward  the  bed.  The  close-drawn  curtains  were 
unable  to  altogether  exclude  the  early  morning 
sunlight  which  streamed  in  through  the  chinks 
of  the  curtains  and  the  uncovered  part  of  the 
window. 

Virginia  stood  as  though  she  had  been  turned 
to  stone.  Every  nerve  in  her  body  seemed  tense 
and  quivering.  The  cry  which  rose  from  her 
heart  parted  her  death-white  lips,  but  remained 
unuttered.  Wider  and  wider  grew  her  eyes  as 
she  gazed  with  horror  across  the  room.  The 
power  of  action  seemed  to  be  denied  to  her.  Her 
knees  shook;  a  sort  of  paralysis  seemed  to  stifle 
every  sense  of  movement.  She  swayed  and 
nearly  fell,  but  her  hand  met  the  corner  of  the 
mantelpiece  and  she  held  herself  erect.  Grad- 
ually, second  by  second,  the  arrested  life  com- 
menced to  flow  once  more  through  her  veins. 
She  had  but  one  impulse  —  to  fly.  She  thought 
nothing  of  the  motive  of  her  coming,  only  to 
place  the  door  between  her  and  this !  Unsteadily, 
but  without  accident,  she  passed  through  the 
door,  and  though  her  hand  shook  like  a  leaf,  she 
managed  to  close  it  noiselessly  again.  Somehow, 
she  never  quite  knew  how,  she  found  herself 
outside  in  the  corridor,  and  a  moment  later  safe 
in  her  own  room  with  the  door  bolted.  Then  she 


^fr"    L  &rt  ^""r 

SHE    THOITJHT    NOTHING    OF    THE    MOTIVE    OF     HER   COMING,    ONLY 
TO    PLACE    THE    DOOR    BETWEEN    HEK    AND    THIS  !       Page   236 


ANOTHER  DISAPPEARANCE       237 

threw  herself  upon  the  bed,  and  it  seemed  to  her 
afterwards  that  she  must  have  fainted! 

Only  a  few  hours  later  Guy,  who  had  slept 
little  that  night,  and  had  waked  with  a  desperate 
resolve,  stepped  out  of  the  lift  and  knocked  at 
Virginia's  door.  There  was  no  answer.  The 
waiter  came  out  from  the  service-room  and  ap- 
proached him. 

*  The  young  lady  has  left,  sir,"  he  announced. 

"  Left  ? "  Guy  repeated  aimlessly.  "  When  ? 
How  long  ago  ? " 

"  Barely  half  an  hour,  sir,"  the  man  answered. 

"  She  paid  up  her  bill  as  I  know,  and  left  the 
key  behind.  The  rooms  belong  to  her  for  another 
fortnight,  but  she  didn't  seem  as  though  she  were 
coming  back." 

"  Did  she  leave  any  address  for  letters  ? "  Guy 
asked. 

"  If  you  inquire  at  the  office,  sir,  they  will  tell 
you,"  the  man  answered. 

Guy  went  down  to  the  office. 

"  Can  you  tell  me,"  he  asked,  "  if  Miss  Long- 
worth  has  left  any  address  ? " 

The  man  shook  his  head. 

"She  left  an  hour  ago,  sir,"  he  said.  "She 
said  there  would  be  no  letters,  and  if  we  liked  we 
could  let  her  rooms,  as  she  was  certain  not  to 
come  back." 

'  You  cannot  help  me  to  find  her,  then  ? "  Guy 


238  THE  GOVERNORS 

asked.  "  I  am  the  Duke  of  Mowbray,  and  I 
should  be  exceedingly  obliged  to  any  one  who 
could  help  me  to  discover  this  young  lady." 

They  were  all  sent  for  at  once,  porter,  com- 
missionaire, hall-boy.  The  information  he  was 
able  to  obtain,  however,  was  scanty  indeed. 
Virginia  had  simply  told  the  cabman,  who  had 
taken  her  and  her  luggage  away,  to  drive  along 
the  Strand  toward  Charing  Cross. 

Guy  drove  back  to  Grosvenor  Square,  and  in- 
sisted upon  going  up  to  his  aunt's  room.  She 
received  him  under  protest  in  her  dressing-gown. 

"  My  dear  Guy,"  she  expostulated,  "  what  is 
the  meaning  of  this  ?  You  know  that  I  am  never 
visible  until  luncheon  time." 

"  Forgive  me  ? "  he  said.  "  I  scarcely  know 
what  I  am  doing  this  morning." 

'  Well,  what  is  it  ? "  she  demanded. 

'  Virginia  has  gone!  "  he  answered,  "  left  her 
rooms,  left  no  address  behind  her.  What  a  fool 
I  was  not  to  follow  her  up  last  night!  She  waited 
until  this  morning.  She  must  have  expected 

that  I  would  come,  and  I  didn't.  I  was  a  d d 

silly  ass !  " 

Lady  Medlincourt  yawned. 

"  Have  you  come  here  to  tell  me  that,  my  dear 
Guy  ?  "  she  said.  "  So  unnecessary!  You  might 
at  least  have  telephoned  it." 

"  Look  here,"  he  said,  "  we  were  too  rough 
on  her  yesterday  afternoon.  I  made  no  con- 
ditions as  to  what  she  should  tell  me  when  I 


ANOTHER  DISAPPEARANCE       239 

asked  her  to  be  my  wife.     I  was  quite  content 
that  she  should  say  yes.     I  know  she's  all  right; 
I  feel  it,  and  she's  the  only  girl  I  shall  ever  care 
a  fig  for!" 

"  I  really  cannot  see,"  Lady  Medlincourt 
murmured,  "  why  you  should  drag  me  from  my 
bed  to  talk  such  rubbish.  If  you  feel  like  that, 
go  and  look  for  her.  It  is  open  for  you  to  marry 
whom  you  choose,  the  lady  who  is  selling  prim- 
roses at  the  corner  of  the  Square  if  you  wish. 
The  only  thing  is  that  you  cannot  expect  your 
friends  to  marry  her  too.  What  did  you  come 
here  for,  advice  or  sympathy  ?  I  have  none  of 
the  latter  for  you,  and  you  wouldn't  take  the 
former.  Do,  there's  a  good  boy,  leave  me!  I 
want  to  have  my  bath,  and  the  hairdresser  is 
waiting." 

Guy  turned  on  his  heel  and  left  the  house. 
There  was  only  one  thing  left  to  be  done,  although 
he  hated  doing  it.  He  went  to  the  office  of  a 
private  detective. 

"  Mind,"  he  said,  when  he  had  told  them  what 
he  wanted,  "  I  will  not  have  the  young  lady 
worried  or  annoyed  in  any  form  if  you  should 
happen  to  find  her.  Simply  let  me  know  where 
she  is  living.  The  rest  is  my  affair.  You  under- 
stand ? " 

"  Perfectly!  "  the  man  answered.  '  We  are  to 
spare  no  expense,  I  presume  ?  " 

It  did  him  good  to  be  able  to  answer  fervently, 
"  Neae  whatever,  only  find  her!  " 


CHAPTER  XV 

MR.   DUGE   THREATENS 

'  I  AHE  morning  papers  were  full  of  the  news. 
•••  Phineas  Duge  had  landed  in  Londonl 
The  Stock  Exchange  was  fluttered.  Those 
whose  hands  were  upon  the  money-markets  of 
the  world  paused  to  turn  their  heads  towards  the 
hotel  where  he  had  taken  a  suite  of  rooms.  In- 
terviewers, acquaintances,  actual  and  imaginary, 
beggars  for  themselves  and  for  others,  left  their 
cards  and  hung  around.  In  the  hotel  they  spoke 
of  him  with  bated  breath,  as  though  something 
of  divinity  attached  itself  to  the  person  of  the 
man  whose  power  for  good  or  for  evil  was  so 
far-reaching. 

Meanwhile  Phineas  Duge,  who  had  had  a 
tiresome  voyage,  and  who  was  not  a  little  fatigued, 
slept  during  the  greater  part  of  the  morning 
following  his  arrival,  with  his  faithful  valet  en- 
camped outside  the  door.  The  first  guest  to  be 
admitted,  when  at  last  he  chose  to  rise,  was 
Littleson.  It  was  close  upon  luncheon  time, 
and  the  two  men  descended  together  to  the  grill- 
room of  the  hotel. 

"  A    quiet    luncheon    and    a    quiet    corner/' 


MR.  DUGE  THREATENS        241 

Littleson  suggested,  "  some  place  where  we  can 
talk.  Duge,  it's  good  to  see  you  in  London. 
I  feel  somehow  that  with  you  on  the  spot  we  are 
safe." 

Phineas  Duge  smiled  a  little  dubiously.  They 
found  their  retired  corner  and  ordered  luncheon. 
Then  Littleson  leaned  across  the  table. 

"  Duge,"  he  said,  "  I'm  thankful  that  we've 
made  it  up.  Weiss  cabled  me  that  you  had  come 
to  terms,  and  that  you  were  on  your  way  over  here 
to  deal  with  the  other  matter.  It's  cost  us  a  few 
millions  to  try  and  get  the  blind  side  of  you." 

Phineas  Duge  smiled  very  slightly;  that  is  to 
say,  his  lips  parted,  but  there  was  no  relaxation 
of  his  features. 

"  Littleson,"  he  said,  "  before  we  commence 
to  talk,  have  you  seen  anything  of  my  niece  over 
here  ?  " 

Littleson  was  a  little  surprised.  He  had  not 
imagined  that  Phineas  Duge  would  ever  again 
remember  his  niece's  existence. 

*  Yes,"  he  answered,  "  I  crossed  over  with 
her." 

"  And  since  then  ? ' 

"  I  have  seen  her  once  or  twice,"  Littleson 
answered  a  little  dubiously. 

"  Alone  ? "  Phineas  Duge  asked. 

"  Not  always,"  Littleson  answered.  "  Twice 
I  have  seen  her  with  Norris  Vine,  and  twice  with 
a  young  Englishman  who  was  on  the  steamer." 


242  THE  GOVERNORS 

Phineas  Duge  said  nothing  for  a  moment.  He 
seemed  to  be  studying  the  menu,  but  he  laid  it 
down  a  little  abruptly. 

"  Do  you  happen  to  know,"  he  asked,  "  where 
she  is  now  ? " 

"  I  haven't  an  idea,"  Littleson  answered  truth- 
fully. '  To  be  frank  with  you,  she  was  not  par- 
ticularly amiable  when  I  spoke  to  her  on  the 
steamer.  She  evidently  wanted  to  have  very 
little  to  say  to  me,  so  I  thought  it  best  to  leave  her 
alone." 

"  How  long  is  it,"  Phineas  Duge  asked,  "  since 
you  saw  her  ? " 

"  It  is  about  a  week  ago,"  Littleson  answered. 
"  She  was  dining  at  Luigi's  with  Nooris  Vine.  I 
remember  that  I  was  rather  surprised  to  see  her 
with  him.  He  seems  to  possess  some  sort  of 
attraction  for  your  family." 

Phineas  Duge  looked  at  the  speaker  coldly,  and 
Littleson  felt  that  somehow,  somewhere,  he  had 
blundered.  He  made  a  great  show  of  commence- 
ing  his  first  course. 

"  Let  me  know  exactly,"  Phineas  Duge  said,  a 
moment  or  two  later,  "what  you  have  done  with 
regard  to  the  man  Vine." 

Littleson  glanced  cautiously  around. 

"  I  have  seen  him,"  he  said.  "  I  have  argued 
the  matter  from  every  possible  side.  I  found  him, 
I  must  say,  absolutely  impossible.  He  will  not 
deal  with  us  upon  any  terms.  I  fear  that  he  is 


MR.  DUGE  THREATENS  243 

only  biding  his  time.  Every  day  I  see  by  the 
papers  that  the  agitation  increases,  and  it  seems 
to  me  that  if  this  bill  passes,  we  shall  all  practi- 
cally be  criminals.  I  think  that  Norris  Vine  is 
waiting  for  the  moment  when  he  can  do  so  with 
the  greatest  dramatic  effect,  to  fill  his  rotten  paper 
with  a  verbatim  copy  of  that  document." 

"  It  would  be,"  Phineas  Duge  remarked,  "  un- 
commonly awkward  for  you  and  Weiss  and  the 
others." 

'  We  couldn't  be  extradited,"  Littleson  an- 
swered, "  and  I  shall  take  remarkably  good  care 
not  to  cross  the  ocean  again  until  this  thing  has 
blown  over." 

"  If  it  ever  does,"  Phineas  Duge  remarked 
quietly.  '*  Well,  go  on  about  Norris  Vine." 

Once  more  Littleson  looked  around  the  room. 

'  You  know  Dan  Prince  is  over  here  ? "  he 
said  softly. 

Duge  nodded. 

"  So  far,"  he  remarked,  "  his  being  over  here 
does  not  seem  to  have  affected  the  situation." 

"  He  has  made  one  attempt,"  Littleson  whis- 
pered. "  He  got  inside,  and  he  had  certain  in- 
formation that  Vine  was  going  to  return  that 
night.  Whether  he  had  warning  or  not  no  one 
can  tell,  but  he  never  came  back.  They  followed 
him  a  few  nights  ago  across  Trafalgar  Square, 
hoping  that  he  was  going  down  toward  the  Em- 
bankment, but  he  took  a  hansom  and  drove  to 


244  THE  GOVERNORS 

his  club.  They  followed,  and  waited  for  him  to 
come  out,  but  there  was  a  policeman  standing 
at  the  very  entrance,  within  a  foot  of  them. 
This  isn't  New  York,  Duge.  You  can't  depend 
upon  getting  the  coast  clear  for  this  sort  of  thing 
over  here,  and  Prince  will  take  no  risks.  He  is 
a  rich  man  in  his  way,  and  he  wants  to  live  to 
enjoy  his  money.  He's  as  clever  as  they  make 
them,  although  he's  failed  twice  here.  I  fancy 
he  has  something  else  pending." 

"  And  meanwhile,"  Duge  said  quietly,  "  to- 
morrow morning's  paper  may  contain  our  dam- 
nation." 

"  It  may,  of  course,"  Littleson  answered.  ''  I 
don't  think  so,  though.  He  doesn't  move  a  yard 
without  being  shadowed,  and  he  hasn't  written 
out  a  cable  when  some  one  hasn't  been  near  his 
shoulder." 

'  That  is  the  position,  then,  so  far  as  you  know 
it  ?  "  Duge  asked. 

"Absolutely!"  Littleson  answered.  "I  can 
tell  you  nothing  more." 

Duge  finished  his  luncheon  and  signed  the 
bill.  Then  he  made  an  appointment  to  dine 
with  Littleson,  and  sent  out  for  an  automobile. 
When  it  arrived  he  was  driven  to  the  American 
Embassy.  At  the  mention  of  his  name  every- 
thing was  made  easy,  and  he  found  himself  in  a 
few  minutes  in  the  presence  of  the  ambassador. 

"  Glad  to  meet  you  once  more,  Mr.  Duge,"  he 


MR.  DUGE  THREATENS  245 

said.  "  You  have  forgotten  me,  I  dare  say,  but 
I  think  we  came  across  one  another  at  a  banquet 
in  New  York  about  four  years  ago." 

"  I  remember  it  perfectly,"  Phineas  Duge 
answered.  "  A  dull  affair  it  was,  but  we  talked 
of  the  Asiatic  Powers  and  kept  ourselves  amused. 
Since  then,  you  see,  all  that  I  said  has  become 
justified." 

Deane  smiled. 

'  They  say  that  with  you  that  is  always  the 
case,"  he  answered.  '  Duge  the  Infallible  '  I 
heard  a  stockbroker  once  call  you." 

Duge  smiled. 

'  Well,"  he  said,  "  if  I  remember  your  politics, 
and  I  think  I  do,  you  are  going  to  try  and  take 
away  that  title  from  me.  You  are  amongst 
those,  are  you  not,  who  have  set  themselves  to 
dam  the  torrents  ?  " 

Deane  shook  his  head  a  little  stiffly. 

"  In  the  diplomatic  service,"  he  said,  "  we  have 
no  politics." 

"  Sometimes,"  Duge  murmured,  "  you  come 
in  touch  with  them.  For  instance,  I  should  like 
to  know  what  advice  you  are  going  to  give  Norris 
Vine  about  the  publication  of  that  little  document 
in  his  paper." 

Deane  looked  for  a  moment  annoyed. 

"  I  am  afraid,"  he  said,  "  that  I  cannot  answer 
you  that  question." 

"  If  you  advise  him  one  way  or  the  other," 


246  THE  GOVERNORS 

Phineas  Duge  said,  "  you  give  the  lie  to  your  own 
statement,  that  in  diplomacy  there  are  no  politics. 
Your  advice  will  show  on  which  side  you  intend 
to  stand." 

"  I  have  not  given  any  advice,"  Deane  replied. 

"  Nor  must  you,"  Phineas  Duge  said  pleas- 
antly enough.  "  It  is  not  your  affair  at  all,  Mr. 
Deane.  I  grant  your  cleverness,  your  shrewd- 
ness, even  your  common  sense,  but  all  three  are 
academic.  They  have  no  direct  relation  to  the 
actual  things  of  the  world.  Wealth  is  one  of 
those  forces  which  only  strong  fingers  can  gather, 
a  stream  which  if  you  like  you  can  divert,  but  you 
cannot  dam.  I  want  to  tell  you,  Mr.  Deane,  that 
if  you  advise  Norris  Vine  at  all,  you  must  see  to 
it  that  you  advise  him  to  place  that  paper  upon  the 
fire,  or  to  restore  it  from  whence  it  was  stolen." 

"  I  am  afraid,  Mr.  Duge,"  the  ambassador 
said,  "  that  I  cannot  recognize  you  as  possessed 
of  such  authority  as  to  justify  the  use  of  the  word 
*  must.'  I  am  in  the  habit  of  doing  what  I  think 
right  and  well." 

Phineas  Duge  bowed  his  head. 

"  I  will  only  remind  you,  Mr.  Deane,"  he  said, 
"  of  the  facts  which  led  to  the  withdrawal  of  our 
ministers  from  Lisbon  and  Paris  and  Vienna.  I 
am  not  proud  of  the  power  which  undoubtedly 
lies  in  the  palm  of  my  right  hand.  On  the  other 
hand,  I  should  be  foolish  if  I  did  not  remind  you 
of  these  things  at  a  time  like  this.  I  only  ask  you 


MR.  DUGE  THREATENS  247 

to  take  up  a  passive  attitude.  You  escape  in  that 
way  all  trouble,  and  if  you  fancy  that  the  climate 
of  Paris  would  suit  you  or  Mrs.  Deane  better  than 
London,  it  would  be  a  matter  of  a  few  months 
only;  but  —  you  must  not  advise  the  other  way!  " 

The  ambassador  was  distinctly  uneasy.  Duge 
saw  his  embarrassment  and  hastened  on. 

"  I  ask  you  for  no  reply,  Mr.  Deane,"  he  said; 
"  not  even  for  an  expression  of  opinion.  I  have 
said  all  that  I  came  to  say.  Apart  from  any 
question  of  self-interest,  I  can  assure  you,  as  a 
man  who  sees  as  clearly  as  his  neighbours,  that 
you  could  do  no  good,  but  much  evil,  by  advising 
Norris  Vine  to  hold  up  these  men  to  the  ridicule 
and  contempt  of  the  world.  He  might  sell  a 
million  copies  of  his  paper,  but  he  would  create 
an  enmity  which  in  the  end,  I  think,  would 
swamp  him.  Mrs.  Deane,  I  trust,  is  well  ?  " 

"  She  is  in  excellent  health,"  the  ambassador 
answered.  '  What  can  I  do  for  you  during  your 
stay  ?  I  presume  you  know  that  anything  you 
desire  is  open  to  you  ?  You  represent,  you  see, 
a  great  uncrowned  royalty,  to  whom  all  the  world 
bows.  Will  you  come  to  Court  ? " 

"  Not  I,"  Duge  answered.  '  Those  things  are 
for  another  type  of  man.  There  was  a  further 
question  which  I  wished  to  ask  you.  I  have  a 
niece  who  came  over  here  on  a  foolish  errand,  a 
Miss  Virginia  Longworth.  Do  you  happen  to 
have  seen  or  heard  anything  of  her  ? " 


248  THE  GOVERNORS 

"  Nothing,"  the  ambassador  replied;  "  nothing 
personally,  at  any  rate.  I  will  inquire  of  my 
secretaries.'* 

He  left  the  room  for  a  few  minutes,  and  re- 
turned shaking  his  head. 

"  Nothing  is  known  about  her  at  all,"  he  de- 
clared. 

"  If  she  should  apply  here,"  Duge  said,  rising 
and  drawing  on  his  gloves,  "  assist  her  in  any 
way  and  let  me  know  at  once.  She  must  be 
getting,"  he  continued,  "  rather  short  of  money. 
You  can  advance  her  whatever  sum  she  asks  for, 
and  I  will  make  it  good." 

Phineas  Duge  walked  out  into  the  sunlight  and 
drove  away  in  his  automobile.  Was  it  the  glaring 
light,  he  wondered,  the  perfume  of  the  flowers,  the 
evidences  on  every  side  of  an  easier  and  less 
strenuous  life,  which  were  accountable  for  a 
certain  depression,  a  slackening  of  interests  which 
certainly  seemed  to  come  over  him  that  afternoon 
as  he  drove  back  to  the  hotel.  If  he  could  have 
summarized  his  thoughts  afterwards,  he  would 
have  scoffed  at  them,  as  a  grown  man  might 
laugh  at  a  toy  which  a  lunatic  had  offered  him. 
Yet  it  is  certain  that  the  empty  place  by  his  side 
was  filled  more  than  once  during  that  brief  ride. 
He  looked  into  the  faces  of  the  women  and  girls 
who  streamed  along  the  pavements  with  a  certain 
half-eager  curiosity,  as  though  he  expected  to 
find  a  familiar  face  amongst  them,  a  pale  oval  face, 


MR.  DUGE  THREATENS  249 

with  quivering  lips  and  lustrous  appealing  eyes  — 
eyes  which  had  come  into  his  thoughts  more 
often  lately  than  he  would  have  cared  to  admit. 

"  It  is  that  infernal  voyage!  "  he  said  to  him- 
self, as  he  got  out  of  the  car  and  entered  the  hotel. 
"  One  cannot  think  about  reasonable  things  on 
days  when  the  marconigram  fails." 

He  bought  a  cigar  at  the  stall  and  strolled  over 
to  the  tape.  It  was  a  busy  afternoon,  and  reports 
from  America  were  coming  in  fast.  He  nodded 
as  he  turned  away.  Weiss  and  the  rest  had  had 
their  lesson.  They  were  keeping,  at  any  rate, 
to  their  part  of  the  bargain. 


CHAPTER  XVI 

TRAPPED 

OHINEAS  DUGE  carefully  drew  off  his  gloves 
•••  and  laid  them  inside  his  hat.  He  declined 
a  chair,  however,  and  stood  facing  the  man  whom 
he  had  come  to  visit. 

"  I  scarcely  understand,  Mr.  Duge,"  Vine  said, 
"  what  you  can  possibly  want  with  me.  Our 
former  relations  have  scarcely  been  of  so  pleasant 
a  nature  as  to  render  a  visit  from  you  easily  to  be 
understood." 

"  I  will  admit,"  Phineas  Duge  said  coldly, 
"  that  personally  I  have  no  interest  or  any  con- 
cern in  you.  But  nevertheless  there  are  two 
matters  which  must  bring  us  together  so  far  as  the 
holding  of  a  few  minutes'  conversation  can  count. 
In  the  first  place,  I  want  to  know  whether  you  are 
going  to  make  use  of  the  paper  which  my  daughter 
stole,  and  which  you  feloniously  received  ?  In 
the  second  place,  I  want  to  know  how  much 
or  what  you  will  accept  for  the  return  of  that 
paper  ?  And  thirdly,  I  want  to  know  what  the 
devil  you  have  done  with  my  niece,  Virginia 
Longworth  ?  " 

"  Your   niece,  Virginia    Longworth,"   Norris 


TRAPPED  251 

Vine    repeated    thoughtfully.      "  Are    you    in 
earnest,  sir  ?  " 

"  I  am  in  earnest,"  Duge  answered. 

'  Then  I  have  done  nothing  with  her,"  Vine 
declared.  "  I  do  not  know  where  she  is.  I  do 
not  know  why  you  should  ask  me  ?  " 

"  You  lie!  "  Phineas  Duge  said  quietly.  "  But 
let  that  go.  It  is  your  trade,  of  course.  I  came 
here  to  give  you  the  opportunity  of  answering 
questions.  I  scarcely  expected  that  such  direct 
methods  would  appeal  to  you." 

*  Your   methods,    at    any    rate,"    Vine    said, 
moving  toward  the  bell,  "  are  not  such  as  I  am 
disposed  to  permit  in  my  own  apartment." 
Phineas  Duge  stretched  out  his  hand. 

"  One  moment,  Mr.  Vine,"  he  said. 

Vine  stopped. 

"Well?  "he  asked. 

"  I  refer  again,"  Phineas  Duge  said,  "  to  the 
question  of  my  niece.  As  regards  those  other 
matters,  if  you  do  not  wish  to  discuss  them  with 
me,  let  them  go.  Even  in  this  country  you  will 
find  that  I  am  not  powerless.  But  as  regards 
my  niece,  I  insist  upon  some  explanation  from 
you." 

"  Some  explanation  of  what  ?  "  Vine  asked. 

'  When  she  left  New  York  a  few  months  ago," 

Phineas   Duge  continued,   "  you   and   she  were 

strangers.     Granted  that  she  came  upon  a  silly 

errand,  still  it  was  not  wholly  her  own  fault,  and 


252  THE  GOVERNORS 

she  was  only  a  simple  child  who  ought  never  to 
have  been  permitted  to  have  left  America." 

"  Up  to  that  point,  Mr.  Duge,"  Vine  said  drily, 
"  I  am  entirely  in  accord  with  you." 

"  She  made  your  acquaintance  somehow," 
Phineas  Duge  continued,  "  and  you  were  seen  out 
with  her  at  different  restaurants;  once,  I  believe, 
at  a  place  of  amusement.  She  left  her  boarding- 
house  and  took  rooms  here  in  this  building.  Her 
room,  I  find,  was  across  the  corridor,  only  a  few 
feet  away  from  yours.  What  is  there  between 
you  and  my  niece,  Norris  Vine  ?  " 

Vine  leaned  against  the  table,  and  a  faint  smile 
flickered  over  his  face. 

"  Really,  Mr.  Duge,"  he  said,  "  you  must 
forgive  my  amusement.  The  idea  that  anything 
so  trivial  as  the  well-being  of  a  niece  should  in- 
terest you  in  the  slightest,  seems  to  me  almost 
paradoxical." 

Phineas  Duge  was  silent  for  several  moments, 
his  keen  eyes  fixed  upon  Vine's  face. 

"  Pray  enjoy  your  jests  as  much  as  you 
will,  Mr.  Vine,"  he  said,  "  but  answer  my 
questions." 

'  Your  niece,"  Norris  Vine  said,  "  came  over 
here  to  rob  me,  at  whose  instigation  I  can  only 
surmise.  My  first  introduction  to  her  was  in 
my  room,  where  she  came  as  a  thief.  What  con- 
sideration have  you  ever  shown,  Phineas  Duge, 
even  to  the  innocent  who  have  crossed  your  paths  ? 


TRAPPED  253 

Why  should  you  expect  that  I  should  show  con- 
sideration to  this  simple  child  who  came  across 
the  ocean  to  steal  from  me  ?  " 

There  was  still  no  change  in  Duge's  face,  but 
a  little  breath  came  quickly  through  his  teeth,  and, 
as  though  insensibly,  he  moved  a  little  nearer  to 
the  man  opposite  him. 

"Where  is  she  now,  Norris  Vine  ?"  he  asked. 

"  If  she  is  not  in  her  rooms,"  Vine  answered, 
"  I  do  not  know." 

"  She  has  given  up  her  rooms,  taken  her  lug- 
gage, and  gone  away,"  Duge  said.  "  Perhaps 
it  is  you  who  have  driven  her  out  of  this  place." 

"  I  was  not  aware  of  it,"  Vine  answered.  "  As 
a  matter  of  fact  I  expected  her  to  lunch  with  me 
to-day." 

Phineas  Duge  looked  down  upon  the  table 
before  which  he  stood.  He  seemed  to  be  turning 
something  over  in  his  mind,  and  opposite  to  him 
Norris  Vine  waited.  When  Duge  looked  up 
again,  Vine  seemed  to  notice  for  the  first  time  that 
his  visitor  was  aging. 

"  Norris  Vine,"  he  said,  "  you  and  I  have  been 
enemies  since  the  day  when  we  became  aware  of 
one  another's  existence.  We  represent  different 
principles.  There  is  not  a  point  in  life  on  which 
our  interests,  as  well  as  our  theories,  do  not  clash. 
But  there  are  things  outside  the  battle  for  mere 
existence  which  men  with  any  fundamental  sense 
of  honour  can  discuss,  even  though  they  are 


THE  GOVERNORS 

enemies.  I  wish  to  ask  you  once  more  whether 
you  can  give  me  any  news  of  my  niece.*' 

"  I  can  give  you  none,"  Norris  Vine  answered. 
"  All  that  I  can  tell  you  is  that  I  found  her  a 
charming,  simple-minded  girl,  in  terrible  trouble 
because  of  your  anger,  and  the  fear  that  you 
would  impoverish  her  people;  and  goaded  on  by 
that  fear  to  attempt  things  which,  in  her  saner 
moments,  she  would  never  have  dreamed  of 
thinking  of.  Where  she  is  now,  what  has 
become  of  her,  I  do  not  know;  but  I  would  not 
like  to  be  the  person  on  whom  rests  the  respon- 
sibility of  her  presence  here  and  anything  that 
may  happen  to  her." 

Phineas  Duge  took  up  his  hat  and  gloves. 

"  I  thank  you,  Mr.  Vine,"  he  said.  "  Your 
expression  of  opinion  is  interesting  to  me.  In  the 
meantime,  to  revert  to  business,  am  I  right  in  con- 
cluding that  you  have  nothing  to  say  to  me,  that 
you  do  not  wish  even  to  discuss  a  certain  matter  ?" 
*  You  are  right  in  your  assumption,  sir," 
Norris  Vine  answered.  "  I  see  no  purpose  in  it. 
What  I  may  do  or  leave  undone  would  never  be  in- 
fluenced by  anything  that  you  might  say." 

Phineas  Duge  turned  toward  the  door.  Norris 
Vine  followed  him.  There  was  not,  however, 
any  motion  on  the  part  of  either  to  indulge  in  any 
form  of  leave-taking;  but  Phineas  Duge  half 
opened  the  door,  stood  for  a  moment  with  his  hand 
upon  the  handle,  and  looked  back  into  the  room. 


TRAPPED  255 

"  I  fear,  Mr.  Vine,"  he  said,  "  that  you  are 
developing  an  insular  weakness.  You  are  for- 
getting to  be  candid,  and  you  are  just  a  little  too 
self-reliant." 

He  opened  the  door  suddenly  quite  wide,  but  he 
made  no  motion  to  depart.  On  the  contrary  two 
men,  who  must  have  been  standing  within  a  foot 
or  so  of  it,  stepped  quickly  in.  Phineas  Duge 
closed  the  door. 


CHAPTER  XVII 

MR.    DUGE    FAILS 

VINE  without  a  doubt  was  trapped. 
He  realized  it  from  the  moment  Phineas 
Duge  closed  the  door  and  turned  the  key.  The 
two  men  who  had  entered  were  to  all  appearance 
absolutely  harmless  and  ordinary.  They  were 
dressed  most  correctly  in  dark  clothes  of  fashion- 
able cut.  Each  wore  a  silk  hat,  and  would  have 
passed  without  a  moment's  question  amongst  any 
ordinary  group  of  better-class  city  men.  Never- 
theless, when  at  his  quick  motion  toward  the  bell 
the  fingers  of  one  of  them  closed  upon  his  arm,  he 
knew  very  well  that  he  was  helpless.  He  suffered 
them  to  lead  him  without  resistance  into  the  little 
sitting-room.  What  could  he  have  done  ?  If 
he  had  opened  his  mouth  to  call  out,  he  saw  the 
hand  of  the  man  who  was  watching  him,  with  his 
arm  linked  through  his,  ready  to  close  his  lips. 
They  all  passed  into  the  sitting-room,  and  Phineas 
Duge  closed  the  door  behind  them. 

"  I  am  sorry,"  he  said,  "  to  resort  to  such  old- 
fashioned  measures,  but  as  you  know  I  am 
methodical  in  all  my  ways.  The  first  place  to 
look  for  stolen  goods  is  obviously  in  the  abode 


HE    HAD    AN    OPPORTUNITY    OF    WATCHING    A    SEARCH    CONDUCTED 

UPON  SCIENTIFIC  PRINCIPLES.     Page  257 


MR.  DUGE  FAILS  257 

of  the  thief.  Frankly,  I  have  not  much  expecta- 
tion of  discovering  anything  here.  At  the  same 
time  I  could  not  afford  to  run  the  risk  of  leaving 
these  rooms  and  your  person  unsearched." 

"  I  can  quite  appreciate  that,"  Norris  Vine 
said,  seating  himself  in  the  armchair  towards 
which  he  was  being  gently  pushed.  '  The  only 
favour  I  will  ask  is  that  you  are  as  quick  as  pos- 
sible, as  I  have  rather  a  busy  afternoon,  and  want 
to  lunch  early." 

'  These  gentlemen,"  Phineas  Duge  remarked, 
"  are  quite  used  to  little  affairs  of  this  sort.  I  do 
not  think  that  you  need  fear  that  there  will  be 
any  undue  delay.' 

Even  while  he  spoke  both  of  them  were  busy. 
Vine  felt  a  silken  cord  being  drawn  about  his  legs 
and  chest.  Something  was  slid  softly  into  his 
mouth.  In  less  than  two  minutes  he  was  bound 
and  gagged.  Then  he  had  an  opportunity,  so 
far  as  the  sitting-room  was  concerned,  of  watching 
a  search  conducted  upon  scientific  principles. 

In  about  twenty  minutes  the  place  looked  as 
though  a  tornado  had  struck  it.  The  search, 
however,  was  over.  The  two  men  were  prepared 
to  guarantee  that  no  papers  of  any  sort  were 
hidden  in  any  place  within  the  reach  of  any  one 
in  that  room.  They  carried  him,  bound  as  he 
was,  into  the  bedroom,  and  he  watched  with  in- 
terest, and  some  admiration,  a  repetition  of  the 
search.  The  result,  however,  was  the  same. 


258  THE  GOVERNORS 

Then  the  two  men  came  over  to  him,  and  he  felt 
his  bonds  softly  loosened.  Only  the  gag  re- 
mained in  his  mouth,  and  one  by  one  his  gar- 
ments were  removed  from  him.  A  trained  valet 
could  not  have  been  more  careful  or  deft.  The 
contents  of  all  his  pockets  were  hastily  run 
through  and  restored.  His  under  garments  were 
felt  all  over  for  any  hidden  hiding  place.  Even 
his  shoes  were  taken  off,  and  the  inner  sole  cut 
through  with  a  knife.  Finally  the  two  men 
turned  towards  Phineas  Duge.  Their  faces  were 
a  mute  expression  of  the  fact  that  the  search  was 
over.  Phineas  Duge  motioned  them  to  remove 
the  gag.  They  did  so,  and  Vine,  who  was  now 
free,  stood  up  and  commenced  to  dress. 

"  I  am  sorry,"  Phineas  Duge  said  calmly,  "  to 
have  inconvenienced  you,  but,  of  course,  a  person 
who  becomes  a  receiver  of  stolen  goods  is  always 
liable  to  a  little  affair  of  this  sort.  You  are  quite 
at  liberty  to  ring  the  bell  now  if  you  like,  and  to 
make  complaints  about  us.  My  methods  may 
have  seemed  to  you  a  little  melodramatic,  but  as 
a  matter  of  fact  they  are  entirely  commonplace. 
These  two  gentlemen  are  connected  with  the 
American  police,  and  it  may  interest  you  to  know 
that  we  have  with  us  warrants  for  the  arrest  both 
of  yourself  and  my  daughter,  Miss  Stella  Duge, 
on  the  charge  of  theft  and  conspiracy.  All  that 
we  have  done  here  has  been  quite  legal,  except 
that  we  should  have  been  accompanied  by  a 


MR.  DUGE  FAILS  259 

gentleman  from  Scotland  Yard,  with  whose  pres- 
ence we  preferred  to  dispense.  You  can  make 
what  complaints  you  like,  and  I  shall  immedi- 
ately apply  for  your  extradition.  In  any  case  I 
expect  to  do  so  to-morrow  or  the  next  day,  if  a 
certain  document  is  not  forthcoming.  You  see 
I  am  placing  myself  in  your  hands.  You  have 
time  even  now  to  cable  its  contents  to  New  York 
before  the  warrant  can  be  executed." 

Norri.s  Vine  was  busy  tying  his  tie,  and  waited 
for  a  moment  until  he  had  arranged  it  to  his  satis- 
faction. Then  he  turned  round. 

"  I  can  assure  you,"  he  said,  "  I  had  not  the 
slightest  intention  of  making  any  complaint  with 
regard  to  your  doings  here.  In  fact,  I  can 
truthfully  say  that  I  have  rather  enjoyed  the 
whole  proceeding.  To  tell  you  the  truth,"  he  con- 
tinued, moving  across  the  room  and  taking  a 
cigarette  from  the  mantelpiece  and  lighting  it, 
"  when  I  heard  that  you  were  in  England,  I  was 
exceedingly  curious  to  know  what  your  methods 
would  be.  '  Phineas  Duge  the  Invincible  '  they 
have  called  you.  I  knew  that  you  came  over  here 
because  you  had  entered  in  a  fresh  alliance  with 
your  gang,  and  I  knew  therefore  that  you  came 
over  to  get  back  that  document.  I  imagine  that 
if  you  can  get  it  you  can  make  your  own  terms 
with  them.  I  must  say  that  I  have  been  ex- 
ceedingly curious  to  know  what  your  methods 
would  be  in  approaching  me.  Littleson  could 


260  THE  GOVERNORS 

suggest  nothing  better  than  a  bribe  and  a  common 
burglary.  There  is  something  much  more  at- 
tractive about  the  way  you  have  opened  the  pro- 
ceedings. I  consider  that  this  little  affair,  for 
instance,  has  been  most  artistic.  If  you  have 
not  discovered  what  you  sought,  you  have  at 
least  discovered  the  fact  that  it  is  not  here.  That 
gives  you  something  to  start  upon.  How  kind 
of  your  assistants !  I  see  that  they  are  putting  my 
room  straight  again." 

Phineas  Duge  nodded.  He  showed  no  dis- 
appointment at  the  ill-success  of  this  first  effort, 
and  he  was  watching  Vine  all  the  time  curiously. 

'  Your  further  plan  of  operations,"  Vine  con- 
tinued, "  is  again  worthy  of  you.  I  believe  all 
that  you  say.  I  believe  that  you  have  the  war- 
rants, and  I  believe  that  you  could  easily  obtain 
an  extradition  order.  On  the  other  hand,  I  am 
perfectly  well  aware  that  this  is  only  a  feint. 
It  is  a  good  scheme  up  to  a  certain  point,  of  course, 
although  neither  your  daughter  nor  myself  could 
be  convicted  of  conspiracy  without  the  production 
of  what  we  are  supposed  to  have  stolen.  Still, 
as  I  said,  it  is  a  good  feint,  and  it  has  made  me 
curious.  I  wonder  what  your  real  scheme  is! 
I  do  not  think  that  you  will  tell  me  that." 

Phineas  Duge  smiled. 

'  You  should  have  been  a  diplomatist.  Mr. 
Vine,"  he  said.  "  As  a  journalist  you  are  wasted. 
You  might  even  have  achieved  what  I  presume 
you  would  have  called  infamy,  as  a  financier." 


MR.  DUGE  FAILS  261 

"  Ah,  well!  "  Norris  Vine  said,  "  the  world  is 
full  of  those  who  have  missed  their  vocation.  I 
am  content  to  pass  amongst  the  throng.  Can  I 
offer  you  anything  before  you  go  ?  A  whisky  and 
soda,  or  a  glass  of  sherry  ?  " 

"  I  think  not,  thank  you,"  Phineas  Duge  said. 
"You  are  naturally  in  a  hurry  to  keep  your 
luncheon  engagement,  and  I  see  that  my  friends 
have  succeeded  in  restoring  your  apartment  to 
some  semblance  of  order.  We  part  now  to  pass 
on  to  the  second  stage  of  our  little  duel.  Under- 
stand that,  so  far  as  regards  this  little  matter  of 
business,  I  have  no  special  ill-feeling  towards  you, 
Mr.  Vine.  I  ask  you  even  no  questions  concern- 
ing your  friendship  with  my  daughter.  She  is 
old  enough  to  know  her  own  mind,  and  she  has 
heard  my  views  often  enough;  but  I  should  like 
you  to  know  this,  and  to  remember  that  I  who 
say  it  am  a  man  of  many  faults,  but  one  virtue: 
never  in  my  life  have  I  broken  my  word.  If  I 
find  that  my  niece  has  disappeared  through  any 
ill-usage  of  yours,  I  will  risk  the  few  years  that 
may  be  left  to  me  of  life,  and  I  will  shoot  you  like 
a  dog  the  first  time  that  we  meet." 

Norris  Vine  looked  gravely  across  at  the  man 
whose  words  so  quietly  spoken,  seemed  yet  from 
their  very  repression  to  be  charged  with  an  intense 
dramatic  force.  He  knew  so  well  that  the  man 
who  spoke  them  meant  what  he  said  and  would 
surely  keep  his  word.  He  shrugged  his  shoulders 
very  slightly. 


262  THE  GOVERNORS 

"  My  dear  sir,"  he  said,  "  I  fear  that  I  have 
misunderstood  you.  I  could  have  imagined  your 
sentiment  being  aroused  by  the  sight  of  a  dollar 
bill  being  burnt  and  wasted,  but  I  never  expected 
to  see  it  kindled  upon  the  subject  of  your  niece, 
or  any  other  human  being.  I  amend  my  judg- 
ment of  you.  You  are  really  not  the  man  I 
thought  you  were.  If  your  friends  have  quite 
finished  "  —  he  took  up  his  hat  and  glanced  for 
a  moment  at  his  watch.  Duge  turned  toward  the 
door. 

"  Once  more,  Mr.  Vine,'*  he  said,  "  my  regrets, 
and  good  morning!  " 

The  three  men  left  the  room.  Vine  remained, 
leaning  against  the  mantelpiece,  and  whistling 
softly  to  himself.  He  went  through  the  whole 
of  a  popular  ballad,  and  then  he  tried  it  in  a 
different  key.  When  he  was  sure  that  the  three 
men  had  had  time  to  leave  the  building,  he  too 
took  up  his  hat  and  went  out. 


CHAPTER  XVIII 

ADVICE    FOR   MR.    VINE 

"]\yf  R.  DEANE  was  on  the  point  of  accom- 
•*•  •*•  panying  his  wife  for  their  usual  afternoon's 
drive  in  the  park.  A  glance  at  the  card  which 
was  brought  to  him  just  as  he  was  preparing  to 
leave  the  house,  however,  was  sufficient  to  change 
his  plans. 

"  My  dear,"  he  said  to  his  wife,  "  you  will  have 
to  excuse  me  this  afternoon.  I  have  a  caller 
whom  I  must  see." 

"  Shall  I  wait  for  a  few  minutes  ?  "  she  asked. 

"  Better  not,"  he  answered.  "  I  imagine  that 
I  may  be  detained  some  time." 

He  took  off  his  hat  and  coat,  and  made  his 
way  to  the  library,  where  Phineas  Duge  was 
awaiting  him.  The  ambassador  was  a  broad- 
minded  man,  loath  to  take  sides  unless  he  was 
compelled  in  the  huge  struggle,  the  coming  of 
which  he  had  prophesied  years  ago.  He  recog- 
nized in  Phineas  Duge  one  of  the  great  powers 
at  the  back  of  the  nation  which  he  represented, 
and  as  a  diplomatist  he  was  fully  prepared  to 
receive  him,  and  welcome  him  as  one. 

"  I  am  very  glad  to  see  you  again,  Mr.  Duge," 


264  THE  GOVERNORS 

he  said,  hospitably,  extending  his  hand,  "  I 
hope  that  you  have  changed  your  mind,  and  are 
going  to  let  us  put  you  in  the  way  of  a  few  social 
amusements  while  you  are  over  here." 

*  You  are  very  kind,"  Duge  answered,  "  but  I 
think  not.  My  visit  here  has  to  do  with  two 
matters  only,  to  both  of  which  I  think  I  have 
already  referred.  You  have  heard  nothing  of 
my  niece  ?  " 

"  Nothing  whatever,  I  am  sorry  to  say,"  Mr. 
Deane  answered. 

"  Well,  there  remains  the  other  matter,"  Duge 
answered.  *  You  and  I  have  already  had  a  few 
words  concerning  that,  and  I  am  pleased  to  see 
that  up  to  the  present,  at  any  rate,  our  friend 
Mr.  Vine  has  been  governed  by  the  dictates  of 
common  sense.  Still,  I  think  you  can  understand 
that  so  long  as  that  paper  exists  the  situation  is  an 
unpleasant  one." 

Mr.  Deane  inclined  his  head  slowly.     ' 

"  Without  a  doubt,"  he  admitted,  "  it  would 
be  more  comfortable  for  you  and  your  friends 
to  feel  that  the  document  in  question  was  no 
longer  in  existence." 

"  I  am  here  in  the  interests,"  Mr.  Duge  an- 
swered a  little  stifly,  "  of  my  friends  only.  My 
own  name  does  not  appear  upon  it.  However, 
my  anxiety  to  discover  its  whereabouts  is  none  the 
less  real." 

"  You  have  seen  Mr.  Vine  ? "  Mr.  Dean  asked. 


ADVICE  FOR  MR.  VINE         265 

"  I  have,"  Duge  answered,  "  and  I  have  come 
to  the  conclusion,  for  which  I  have  some  grounds, 
that  the  document  is  not  for  the  moment  in  his 
possession.  I  have  therefore  asked  myself  the 
question  —  to  whom  on  this  side  would  he  be 
likely  to  entrust  it  ?  It  occurred  to  me  that  it 
might  be  deposited  at  a  bank,  but  I  find  that  he 
has  no  banking  account  over  here.  The  Ameri- 
can Express  Company  have  no  packet  in  their 
charge  consigned  by  him.  Therefore  I  have  come 
to  the  conclusion  that  he  has  placed  it  in  the  care 
of  some  friend  in  whom  he  has  unlimited  con- 
fidence. Foolish  thing  that  to  have,  Mr.  Deane," 
Phineas  Duge  continued  slowly,  with  his  eyes 
fixed  upon  his  companion.  "  One  is  likely  to  be 
deceived  even  by  the  most  unlikely  people." 

'  Your  business  career,"  Mr.  Deane  replied 
courteously,  "  no  doubt  has  taught  you  that 
caution  is  next  to  genius." 

"  I  would  have  you,"  Phineas  Duge  said  im- 
pressively, "  lay  that  little  axiom  of  yours  to  heart, 
Mr.  Deane.  I  think  you  will  agree  with  me  that 
a  man  in  your  position  especially,  the  accredited 
ambassador  of  a  great  country,  should  show  him- 
self more  than  ordinarily  cautious  in  all  his  doings 
and  sayings,  especially  where  the  interests  of  any 
portion  of  his  country  people  are  concerned." 

"  I  trust,  Mr.  Duge,"  the  ambassador  replied, 
"  that  I  have  always  realized  that." 

"  I  too  hope  so,"  Duge  answered.     "  I  told  you, 


266  THE  GOVERNORS 

I  think,  that  I  had  come  to  the  conclusion  that 
Norris  Vine,  not  having  that  paper  any  longer  in 
his  possession,  has  passed  it  on  to  some  other 
person  in  whom  his  faith  is  unbounded." 

"  You  did,  I  believe,  mention  that  supposition," 
Mr.  Deane  assented. 

"  I  ask  myself,  therefore,"  Phineas  Duge  con- 
tinued, "  who,  amongst  his  friends  in  London, 
Norris  Vine  would  be  most  likely  to  trust  with 
the  possession  of  a  document  of  such  vast  im- 
portance. Need  I  tell  you  the  first  idea  which 
suggested  itself  to  me!  It  is  for  your  advice  that 
Norris  Vine  has  crossed  the  ocean.  You  have 
read  the  document.  You  know  its  importance. 
There  would,  I  imagine,  be  no  hiding  place  in 
London  so  secure  as  the  Embassy  safe  which  I 
see  in  the  corner  of  your  study!  " 

*  You  suggest,  then,"  Mr.  Deane  said  slowly, 
"  that  Norris  Vine  has  deposited  that  document 
in  my  keeping." 

"  I  not  only  suggest  it,"  Duge  answered,  "  but 
I  am  thoroughly  convinced  that  such  is  the  fact. 
Can  you  deny  it  ?  " 

Mr.  Deane  shrugged  his  shoulders. 

'  The  matter,  so  far  as  I  am  concerned  in  it," 
he  answered,  "  is  a  personal  one  between  Vine  and 
myself.     I  cannot  answer  your  question." 
Phineas  Duge  shook  his  head  thoughtfully. 

'  That,  Mr.  Deane,"  he  said,  "  is  where  you 
make  a  great  mistake.  Permit  me  to  say  that 


ADVICE  FOR  MR.  VINE         267 

your  official  position  should,  I  am  sure,  preclude 
you  from  taking  any  part  in  this  business.  The 
matter,  you  say,  is  a  private  one.  There  can  be 
no  private  matters  between  you,  the  paid  and 
accredited  agent  of  your  country,  and  one  of  its 
citizens.  To  speak  plainly,  you  have  not  the 
right  to  offer  the  shelter  of  the  Embassy  to  the 
document  which  Norris  Vine  has  committed  to 
your  charge." 

"  How  do  you  know  that  he  has  done  so  ?" 
Deane  asked. 

"  Call  it  inspiration  if  you  like,"  Duge  an- 
swered. "  In  any  case  I  am  sure  of  it." 

There  was  a  short  silence.  Then  Mr.  Deane 
rose  to  his  feet  a  little  stifly. 

"  Perhaps  you  are  right,"  he  said,  "  and  yet  I 
am  not  sure." 

"A  little  reflection  will,  I  think,  convince  you," 
Phineas  Duge  said  quietly.  '  Your  retention  of 
that  document  means  that  you  take  sides  in  the 
civil  war  which  seems  hanging  over  my  country. 
Further  than  that,  it  also  means  —  and  although 
it  pains  me  to  say  so,  Mr.  Deane,  I  assure  I  you 
say  it  without  any  ill-feeling  —  a  serious  interrup- 
tion to  your  career." 

The  ambassador  was  silent  for  several  mo- 
ments. 

"  Mr.  Duge,"  he  said,  "  I  am  inclined  to  admit 
that  up  to  a  certain  point  you  have  reason  on 
your  side.  It  is  true  that  I  am  guarding  the 


268  THE  GOVERNORS 

document  in  question  for  Norris  Vine,  and  it  is  also 
true  that  in  doing  so  I  am  perhaps  departing  a 
little  from  the  strict  propriety  which  my  position 
demands.  I  will  therefore  return  to  him  the 
document,  but  I  should  like  you  to  understand 
that  with  every  desire  to  retain  your  good  will,  I 
shall  give  Mr.  Vine  such  advice  with  regard  to 
the  use  of  it  as  seems  to  me,  as  a  private 
individual  and  a  citizen  of  the  United  States, 
judicious." 

Phineas  Duge  took  up  his  hat. 

"  As  to  that,"  he  said,  "  I  have  nothing  to  say, 
beyond  this.  However  things  may  shape  them- 
selves in  the  immediate  future,  my  influence  will, 
I  believe,  still  prove  something  to  be  reckoned 
with  on  the  other  side.  That  influence,  Mr. 
Deane,  I  use  for  those  who  show  themselves  my 
friends." 

The  two  men  parted  with  some  restraint. 
Deane,  after  a  few  minutes'  hesitation,  went  to  the 
telephone  and  called  up  Vine  at  his  club. 

"  I  want  to  talk  to  you,  Vine,  at  once,  "  he  said. 
"  Can  you  come  round  ?  " 

"  In  ten  minutes,"  was  the  answer. 

"  I  shall  wait  for  you,"  the  ambassador  an- 
swered, ringing  off. 


CHAPTER  XIX 

THE    CRISIS 

TN  a  small,  shabbily  furnished  room  at  the  top 
•*•  of  a  tall  apartment  house,  Virginia  was  living 
through  what  seemed  to  her,  as  indeed  it  was,  a 
grim  little  tragedy.  On  the  table  before  her  was 
her  little  purse,  turned  inside  out,  and  by  its  side 
a  few,  a  very  few  coins.  The  roll  of  notes,  which 
she  had  not  changed,  and  which  formed  the  larger 
part  of  her  little  capital,  was  gone,  hopelessly, 
absolutely  gone.  It  was  nothing  less  than  a 
disaster  this,  which  she  was  forced  to  face.  She 
had  left  the  purse  about  in  her  rooms  in  Coniston 
Mansions,  or  there  were  many  other  places  in 
which  an  expert  thief  would  have  found  it  a  very 
easy  matter  to  remove  the  little  bundle  and  re- 
place it  with  that  roll  of  paper  which  she  found  in 
its  place. 

Her  first  wild  thought  of  rushing  to  the  police- 
station  she  had  dismissed  as  useless.  She 
had  no  idea  when  or  where  the  theft  had  been 
accomplished;  only  she  knew  that  she  was  alone 
in  a  strange  city,  and  that  thef  ew  shillings  left 
to  her  were  not  even  sufficient  to  pay  for  the  rent 
she  already  owed  for  her  room. 


270  THE  GOVERNORS 

She  dragged  herself  to  the  window  and  stood 
looking  out  across  the  grimy  house-tops.  Her 
eyes  were  blurred  with  tears.  It  is  doubtful 
whether  she  saw  anything  of  the  uninspiring  view, 
but  it  seemed  to  her  that  she  could  certainly  see 
the  wreck  of  her  own  short  life.  She  seemed  to 
realize  then  the  mad  folly  of  her  journey,  the 
hopelessness  of  it  from  beginning  to  end.  Quite 
apart  from  her  failure,  there  was  also  a  madness 
of  which  she  refused  even  to  think,  the  aftertaste 
of  those  few  hours  of  delicious  happiness.  Had 
he  ever  tried  to  find  her  out,  she  wondered,  since 
that  day  when  she  had  fled  with  burning  cheeks 
and  aching  heart  from  her  rooms  in  Coniston 
Mansions,  and  sought  to  hide  herself  in  the  cold 
bosom  of  this  unlovely  city.  In  any  case  she 
would  never  see  him  again.  Her  one  desire  now, 
if  it  amounted  to  a  desire,  when  all  ways  in  life 
seemed  to  her  alike  flat  and  profitless,  was  to  find 
her  way  somehow  or  other  back  to  America,  and 
to  carry  the  bad  news  herself  to  the  little  farm- 
house in  the  valley. 

She  looked  at  her  pitiful  little  store  of  coins, 
and  the  problem  of  existence  seemed  to  become 
more  and  more  difficult.  After  all,  there  was 
another  way  for  those  who  did  not  care  to  live. 
She  found  herself  harbouring  the  thought  without 
a  single  sign  of  any  revulsion  of  feeling,  accepting 
it  as  a  matter  to  be  seriously  considered  with  dull, 
calculating  fatalism.  What  was  the  use  of  life 


THE  CRISIS  271 

when   nothing  remained  to  hope  for!     It  was, 
after  all,  an  easy  way  out. 

She  opened  the  window  and  looked  below. 
The  seven  stories  made  her  dizzy.  Neverthe- 
less, she  looked  with  a  curious  fascination  to  the 
stone  courtyard  immediately  underneath  the 
window.  Death  would  probably  be  instanta- 
neous. She  leaned  a  little  further  out  and  then 
started  suddenly  back  into  the  room.  A  revul- 
sion of  feeling  had  overtaken  her.  It  was  a 
hideous  idea,  this.  For  the  sake  of  the  others 
she  must  put  it  away  from  her.  She  walked  up 
and  down  the  narrow  confines  of  her  room,  and 
then  the  necessity  for  action  of  some  sort  drove 
her  out  into  the  street.  Curiously  enough, 
though  she  was  being  searched  for  by  at  least 
half  a  dozen  detectives  and  inquiry  agents,  she 
had  taken  no  particular  pains  to  conceal  herself 
beyond  the  fact  that  she  had  chosen  a  crowded 
and  low-class  neighbourhood,  and  had  seldom 
ventured  out  before  dark.  She  walked  now  to 
the  office  of  a  shipping  agent  which  she  had 
noticed  on  her  way  here,  and  addressed  herself  to 
the  clerk  who  hastened  forward  to  ascertain  her 
wishes. 

"  I  want,"  she  said,  "  to  get  to  America,  and  _ 
have  no  money.  All  that  I  had  has  been  stolen. 
Could  I  get  a  passage  and  pay  for  it  when  I 
arrive  ?  A  second  class  passage,  of  course." 

The  clerk  shook  his  head  dubiously. 


272  THE  GOVERNORS 

"  Have  you  no  friends  in  London,"  he  asked, 
"  to  whom  you  could  apply  for  a  loan  ?  " 

"  Not  a  single  one,"  she  answered. 

"  Why  not  cable  ?  "  he  suggested.  '  You 
could  have  money  wired  over  here  to  your  credit." 

"  I  do  not  wish  to  do  that,"  Virginia  answered. 

The  young  man  shrugged  his  shoulders. 

'  The  only  other  course,"  he  said,  "  would  be 
to  apply  to  the  Embassy.  They  might  advance 
the  money." 

Virginia  walked  out  thoughtfully.  After  all, 
why  not  ?  Mr.  Deane,  she  knew,  was  a  friend  of 
her  uncle's.  He  would  perhaps  let  her  have  the 
money,  and  she  could  send  it  back  later  on. 
She  walked  to  the  great  house  in  Ormande 
Gardens  and  asked  to  see  Mr.  Deane.  The 
servant  who  admitted  her  hesitated  a  little. 

'  There  is  no  one  in  just  now,  miss,"  he  said, 
"  except  Mr.  Deane,  and  he  is  busy  with  a  gentle- 
man. If  you  will  come  into  the  waiting-room, 
I  will  ask  him  whether  he  can  spare  you  a  mo- 
ment when  the  gentleman  has  gone." 

Virginia  sat  upon  a  very  hard  horsenair  chair 
in  a  barely  furnished  room,  and  waited.  The 
table  was  covered  with  magazines,  but  she  did 
not  touch  them.  She  sat  nervously  twisting  and 
untwisting  her  fingers.  Then  the  sudden  sound 
of  voices  outside  attracted  her  attention.  The 
door  of  the  room  in  which  she  sat  had  been  left 
ajar,  and  apparently  two  men,  passing  down  the 


THE  CRISIS  273 

hall  from  a  room  on  the  other  side,  had  paused 
just  outside  it. 

"  Of  course,  I  don't  know  what  you  will  do  with 
it,  Vine,"  she  heard  some  one  say,  "  but  if  you 
take  my  advice,  you  will  find  a  secure  hiding 
place  without  a  moment's  delay.  I  am  very 
sorry  indeed  that  I  cannot  help  you  out  any  longer, 
but  I  know  you  don't  want  me  to  run  risks." 

"  Rather  not,"  Vine  answered.  "  To  tell  you 
the  truth,  I  think  my  mind  is  made  up.  I  am 
going  to  spend  a  little  fortune  cabling  to-night." 

'  Well,  I  am  not  sure  but  that  you  are  wise," 
was  the  reply.  "  It's  one  of  those  things  the  re- 
sult of  which  it  is  quite  impossible  to  prophesy. 
Good  luck  to  you  anyway,  Vine,  and  do,  for  the 
next  few  hours,  take  care  of  yourself." 

Then  Virginia  heard  a  parting  between  the 
two  men.  One  of  them  apparently  left  the  house, 
the  other  returned  to  the  room  from  which  they 
had  issued.  Virginia  did  not  hesitate  for  a  mo- 
ment. She  passed  on  tiptoe  out  of  the  room  into 
the  hall.  A  servant  stood  at  the  front  door,  hav- 
ing that  moment  let  Vine  out. 

"  I  have  decided  not  to  wait  for  Mr.  Deane 
any  longer,"  she  said.  "  I  will  call  and  see  one 
of  the  secretaries  sometime  to-morrow." 

The  man  let  her  out  without  question.  She 
was  just  in  time  to  see  Vine  turn  the  corner  of  the 
square.  She  followed  him  breathlessly,  then 
paused  and  stopped  a  passing  hansom. 


274  THE  GOVERNORS 

"  Coniston  Mansions,"  she  told  the  man. 
"  Please  go  as  quickly  as  you  can." 

She  was  driven  there,  and  passed  quickly 
through  the  hall  and  entered  the  lift.  The  com- 
missionaire hurried  up  to  her. 

"  Several  people,  miss,  have  been  asking  for 
your  address  since  you  left,"  he  announced. 

"  I  will  leave  it  before  I  go,"  she  answered 
hurriedly. 

She  got  out  at  the  fifth  floor,  and  without 
hesitation  she  walked  straight  across  to  Norris 
Vine's  rooms.  She  was  as  pale  as  death.  After 
that  last  visit  of  hers  she  felt  a  horrible  shrinking 
from  entering  the  place.  Nevertheless,  she  drew 
a  key  from  her  pocket,  turned  the  lock,  entered, 
and  found,  as  she  supposed,  that  she  was  there 
first.  She  looked  around,  at  first  in  vain,  for 
some  hiding  place.  All  the  while  she  was 
struggling  to  put  everything  else  out  of  her  mind 
except  two  great  facts.  Norris  Vine  was  going  to 
bring  that  paper  back  to  his  rooms!  It  was  her 
last  chance!  If  she  failed  this  time,  there  was 
nothing  left  for  her  but  despair!  On  the  right 
of  the  outside  door  was  a  small  clothes  cupboard. 
It  was  the  only  place  in  the  two  rooms  where 
concealment  seemed  in  any  way  possible,  and 
Virginia,  with  beating  heart,  stepped  into  it  and 
drew  the  door  to  after  her.  She  was  scarcely 
there  before  she  heard  the  sound  of  a  key  in  the 
lock.  She  drew  back,  holding  her  breath  as  he 


THE  CRISIS  275 

passed.  Norris  Vine  entered  and  stepped  into 
the  sitting-room.  She  heard  him  take  off  his 
hat  and  coat  and  throw  them  down.  She  heard 
the  sound  of  a  chair  drawn  up  to  the  table.  He 
was  preparing,  then,  to  write  out  his  cable! 


CHAPTER  XX 

f 

BEWITCHED 

T  7"ERY  softly  Virginia  pushed  open  the  door 
*  one,  two,  three  inches.  She  could  see  Vine 
now  sitting  at  the  table  with  several  sheets  of 
paper  before  him,  and  a  book  which  seemed  to 
be  a  code,  the  leaves  of  which  he  was  turning  over 
meditatively.  Her  eyes  were  fastened  upon  that 
roll  of  paper  at  his  left-hand  side.  She  had  no 
doubt  but  that  it  was  the  document  which  had 
been  stolen,  the  document  to  recover  which  had 
brought  her  upon  this  wild-goose  chase.  The 
very  sight  of  it,  even  at  this  distance,  thrilled  her. 
Scheme  after  scheme  rushed  through  her  brain. 
There  were  overcoats  hanging  up  in  the  closet. 
Could  she  steal  out  on  tiptoe,  throw  one  over  his 
head,  and  escape  with  the  paper  before  he  could 
stop  her  ?  Even  then,  unless  she  had  time  to 
lock  him  in,  what  chance  would  she  have  of  leav- 
ing the  building  ? 

She  watched  him  write,  without  undue  haste, 
but  referring  every  now  and  then  to  the  code- 
book  by  his  side.  If  only  he  would  get  up  and 
go  into  the  bedroom  for  a  moment,  it  might  give 
her  a  chance.  She  could  feel  her  heart  beating 


BEWITCHED  277 

underneath  her  gown.  Every  sense  was  thrilling 
with  excitement;  and  then,  all  of  a  sudden,  she 
had  a  great  surprise.  Almost  a  cry  broke  from 
her  lips;  almost  she  had  taken  that  swift  invol- 
untary movement  forward,  for  she  realized  sud- 
denly that  she  was  not  the  only  one  who  was 
watching  Norris  Vine.  Very  softly  a  man,  coat- 
less  and  in  his  socks,  had  stolen  out  from  the  bed- 
room where  he  had  lain  concealed,  and  was  look- 
ing in  through  the  opening  of  the  partly  closed 
study  door.  Virginia  felt  her  finger-nails  dig  into 
her  flesh.  She  stood  there  rapt  and  breathless. 
Instinctively  she  felt  that  the  cards  had  been 
taken  from  her  hand,  that  she  was  to  be  a  witness 
of  events  more  swift  and  definite  than  any  in 
which  she  herself  could  have  borne  the  principal 
part. 

Norris  Vine  was  absorbed  in  his  work.  She 
saw  him  bend  lower  and  lower  over  the  table,  and 
she  heard  his  pen  drive  faster  across  the  paper. 
His  attention  was  riveted  upon  his  task.  She 
saw  the  man  lurking  behind  the  door  come  grad- 
ually more  into  evidence.  He  was  a  stranger  to 
her,  but  she  could  see  that  he  was  an  athlete  by 
his  broad  shoulders,  his  long  arms,  and  his  grace- 
ful poise,  as  he  lurked  there  almost  like  a  tiger 
preparing  for  a  spring.  Of  what  his  plan  might 
be  she  could  form  no  idea.  Every  pulse  in  her 
body  was  beating  as  it  had  never  beat  before. 
Her  breath  was  coming  sharply  and  quickly,  and 


278  THE  GOVERNORS 

it  was  all  that  she  could  do  to  keep  back  the  sobs 
which  seemed  to  rise  in  her  throat  from  pure  ex- 
citement. What  was  he  going  to  do,  this  man 
who  crouched  there,  nerving  himself  as  though 
for  some  great  effort!  Very  soon  she  knew. 

He  stole  to  the  limit  of  the  protection  afforded 
him  by  the  door.  She  saw  his  head  turn  a  little 
sideways,  and  she  saw  his  eyes  fixed  upon  a  certain 
spot  in  the  wall.  Then  he  glanced  back  again 
toward  the  man  writing,  as  though  he  measured 
the  distance  between  them,  as  though  he  wished 
even  to  calculate  the  exact  nature  of  the  move- 
ment which  it  was  necessary  to  make.  Then  in 
the  midst  of  her  wondering  came  the  elucidation 
of  these  things.  The  man  poised  himself.  She 
could  see  him  in  the  act  of  springing.  He  made 
a  dash,  hit  something  with  his  hand,  and  the 
room  was  in  darkness!  She  heard  him  leap 
across  the  room  toward  the  table,  and  she  heard 
the  low  cry  of  Norris  Vine  as  he  sprang  to  his 
feet  to  meet  this  unknown  assailant.  She  knew 
very  well  in  the  darkness  which  way  the  struggle 
must  go.  Norris  Vine,  slim,  a  hater  of  exercise, 
unmuscular,  unprepared,  could  have  no  chance 
against  an  attack  like  this. 

Virginia's  brain  moved  swiftly  in  those  few 
moments.  She  heard  the  quick  breath  of  the 
two  men  as  they  swayed  in  one  another's  arms, 
and  she  did  not  hesitate  for  a  moment.  On  tip- 
toe, and  with  all  the  grace  and  lightness  which 


1 


THEX    IN    THE    MIDST    OF    HEK  WONDERING    CAME    THE    ELUCIDATION 

OF  THESE  THINGS.     Page  278 


BEWITCHED  279 

were  hers,  by  right  of  her  buoyant  figure  and  buoy- 
ant youth,  she  crossed  the  room  with  swift,  silent 
footsteps,  and  gathered  into  her  hands  the  roll 
of  papers  upon  the  table.  As  softly  as  she  had 
come  she  went.  The  deep  sobbing  breaths  of 
the  two  men,  the  half-stifled  cries  with  which 
Vine  was  seeking  for  outside  help,  effectually 
deadened  the  faint  swish  of  her  skirts  and  the 
tremor  of  her  footsteps  upon  the  carpeted  floor. 

She  came  and  went  like  a  dream,  and  when  the 
man,  in  whose  arms  Norris  Vine  was  after  all  but 
a  child,  finally  dragged  his  victim  across  the  floor 
by  the  collar  and  turned  up  the  electric  light,  the 
table  towards  which  he  looked  was  bare.  He 
dropped  Vine  heavily  upon  the  floor,  and  stood 
there  rooted  to  the  spot,  gazing  at  the  place  where 
only  a  few  moments  before  he  had  seen  that  roll 
of  paper.  A  hoarse  imprecation  broke  from  his 
lips,  and  Norris  Vine,  who  was  still  conscious 
though  badly  winded,  seeing  what  was  amiss,  sat 
up  on  the  carpet  and  gazed  too,  bewildered,  at 
the  empty  table.  The  papers  were  gone!  There 
was  no  sign  of  them  there.  There  was  no  sign  of 
any  one  else  in  the  apartment.  There  was 
nothing  to  indicate  that  any  one  had  entered  it  or 
left  it.  The  man  who  had  thought  himself  the 
victor  stood  there  with  his  hands  to  his  head,  an 
unimaginative  person,  but  suddenly  dazed  with 
a  curious  crowd  of  apprehensions.  Norris  Vine 
staggered  up  to  his  feet,  and  groped  his  way 


28o  THE  GOVERNORS 

toward  the  sideboard,  where  a  decanter  of  brandy 
was  standing. 

"  Good  God!  "  he  muttered  to  himself,  as  he 
poured  some  of  the  liquor  into  a  glass  and  raised 
it  to  his  lips.  "  Are  we  all  mad  or  bewitched  or 
what  ? " 

His  assailant  did  not  answer.  He  raised  the 
tablecloth  and  looked  underneath,  retreated  into 
the  bedroom,  sought  in  vain  for  any  signs  of  an 
intruder.  Then  he  came  slowly  back  into  the 
sitting-room,  and  the  eyes  of  the  two  men  met. 
Norris  Vine  was  leaning  back  against  the  side- 
board, his  clothes  disarranged,  his  collar  torn, 
his  tie  hanging  down  in  strips.  In  his  shaking 
hand  was  the  glass  of  brandy,  half  consumed. 
There  was  a  livid  mark  upon  his  face,  and  his 
eyes  were  wide  open  and  staring. 

"  My  muscular  friend,"  he  said,  "  the  ghosts 
have  robbed  you." 

"  Ghosts  be  d d !  "  the  other  man  an- 
swered, a  little  wildly.  "  I  wish  this  job  were  at 
the  bottom  of  the  ocean  before  I'd  touched  it.'1 


CHAPTER  XXI 

A  LESSON  LEARNED 

'  I AHE  American  ambassador  was  giving  the 
•*•  third  of  his  great  dinner-parties.  At  the 
last  moment  he  had  prevailed  upon  Phineas  Duge 
to  accept  an  invitation.  Littleson,  also,  was  of  the 
party,  and  the  ladies  having  departed,  these  three, 
separated  only  by  the  German  ambassador,  who 
was  engaged  in  an  animated  conversation  with  a 
Russian  Grand  Duke,  found  themselves  for  a 
minute  or  two  detached  from  the  rest  of  the  party. 
Littleson  took  the  opportunity  to  move  his  chair 
over  until  he  was  able  to  whisper  into  Duge's  ear. 

"  Any  news  ?  " 

"  None!  "  Duge  answered  shortly. 

Mr.  Deane  leaned  forward  in  his  chair. 

"  I  suppose  you  have  heard,"  he  said,  "  that 
a  warrant  was  issued  this  afternoon  for  the  arrest 
of  your  friends,  Higgins  and  Weiss  ?  " 

"  It  was  a  matter  of  form  only,"  Duge  replied. 

"  Unless  they  pass  this  new  bill  through  the 
Senate,  nothing  more  than  a  little  temporary 
inconvenience  can  happen  to  them.  I  wonder 
why  our  great  President  has  developed  so  sudden 
and  violent  an  antipathy  to  capital." 


282  THE  GOVERNORS 

"  I  am  not  sure,"  Mr.  Deane  replied,  "  whether 
his  position  is  logical.  Capital  must  be  the  back- 
bone of  any  great  country,  and  the  very  elements 
of  human  nature  demand  its  concentration.  I 
think  myself  that  this  will  all  blow  over." 

"  Unless "  Littleson  whispered. 

:<  Unless,"  Mr.  Deane  continued,  "  some 
greater  scandal  than  any  at  present  known  were 
to  attach  itself  to  our  two  friends." 

"  One  cannot  tell,"  Phineas  Duge  said  slowly. 
"  Such  a  scandal  might  come.  It  is  hard  to  say. 
The  ways  that  lead  to  great  wealth  are  full  of 
pitfalls,  and  they  are  not  ways  that  stand  very  well 
the  blinding  glare  of  daylight." 

Littleson  was  looking  pale  and  nervous.  He 
drew  a  little  breath  and  fanned  himself  with  his 
handkerchief. 

"  You  men  love  to  talk  in  riddles,"  he  said,  or 
rather  whispered,  hoarsely.  '  Why  not  admit 
that  they  are  safe  enough  so  long  as  Norris  Vine 
does  not  move!  " 

A  servant  approached  the  ambassador  and 
whispered  in  apologetic  fashion  in  his  ear. 

"  There  is  a  young  lady,  sir,"  he  said,  "  who 
has  just  arrived,  and  who  insists  upon  seeing  you. 
She  says  that  her  business  is  of  the  utmost  im- 
portance. I  have  done  my  best  to  make  her 
understand  that  you  are  engaged,  but  she  will  not 
listen  to  reason.  She  is,  I  think,  sir,  an  American 
young  lady,  and  she  is  very  much  disturbed." 


A  LESSON  LEARNED  283 

Phineas  Duge  leaned  forward  in  his  place. 
His  eyes  were  fixed  upon  the  servant.  He  said 
nothing.  He  only  waited. 

"A  young  American  lady!"  Mr.  Deane  re- 
peated slowly.  "  Have  you  seen  her  before  ?  " 

"  I  believe,  sir,"  the  man  answered,  "  that  it 
is  the  same  young  lady  who  came  here  some  weeks 
ago  to  inquire  after  Mr.  Norris  Vine." 

Phineas  Duge  was  on  his  feet  with  a  sudden 
soft,  half-stifled  exclamation.  Mr.  Deane  looked 
around  the  table.  His  other  guests  were  all 
talking  amongst  themselves.  Littleson,  ignorant 
of  what  this  might  mean,  was  looking  a  little  be- 
wildered. The  ambassador  addressed  one  of 
the  men  a  little  lower  down  the  table. 

"  Sinclair,"  he  said,  "  wrill  you  take  my  place 
for  a  moment  ?  A  little  matter  of  business  has 
turned  up,  and  I  am  wanted.  I  shall  not  be  away 
long." 

The  man  addressed  nodded,  and,  pushing  back 
his  chair,  strolled  toward  the  ambassador's 
vacant  seat,  his  cigar  in  his  mouth.  Phineas 
Duge  and  Mr.  Deane  left  the  room  together,  and 
close  behind  them  Littleson  followed.  They  left 
the  room  without  any  appearance  of  haste,  but 
once  in  the  hall  Phineas  Duge  showed  signs  of  a 
rare  impatience,  and  pushed  his  way  on  ahead. 
The  door  of  the  waiting-room  was  half  open.  He 
strode  in,  and  a  little  exclamation  broke  from 
his  lips.  It  wras  Virginia  who  stood  there,  and 


284  THE  GOVERNORS 

her  hands  were  crossed  upon  her  bosom,  as 
though  there  were  something  there  which  she  was 
guarding.  Nevertheless,  at  the  sight  of  her  uncle 
they  fell  away,  and  she  started  back. 

"You!"  she  exclaimed.  "Uncle  Phineas! 
Here  in  London!  " 

He  saw  the  signs  stamped  into  her  face  of  the 
evil  times  through  which  she  had  passed,  and  the 
more  immediate  traces  of  the  crisis  which  lay  so 
close  behind  her.  He  held  out  both  his  hands, 
and  stepped  quickly  toward  her.  He  was  only 
just  in  time  to  save  her  from  falling. 

"  I  came,"  she  faltered,  "  to  get  money  from 
Mr.  Deane  to  send  you  a  cable,  to  catch  a  steamer 
to  come  back  to  America.  I  have  got  it!  "  she 
cried  suddenly,  her  voice  rising  almost  to  a  hyste- 
rical shriek.  "I  have  got  it!  It  is  here!  See!" 

She  dragged  something  from  the  front  of  her 
dress  —  a  roll  of  papers,  and  held  them  out.  She 
was  swaying  upon  her  feet  now,  and  Phineas 
Duge,  his  arm  around  her  waist,  half  led,  half 
carried  her  to  a  chair.  Littleson,  who  had  darted 
out  of  the  room,  came  back  with  a  glass  of  water. 
All  three  men  stood  around  her.  The  papers 
were  there  upon  her  knee,  but  her  fingers  seemed 
wound  around  them  with  some  unnatural  force. 
Her  burning  eyes  were  fixed  upon  her  uncle's. 

"Take  them!"  she  begged.  "Read  them! 
Tell  me  that  it  is  all  right.  Tell  me  that  you 
will  keep  your  promise." 


HE    WAS   ONLY   JUST    IN   TIME    TO    SAVE    HER   FROM   FALLING. 

Page  284 


A  LESSON  LEARNED  285 

He  took  them  gently  away.  A  single  glance  at 
the  sheet  of  foolscap  was  enough. 

'  You  are  a  wonderful  child,  Virginia,"  he  said 
calmly.  "  It  is  as  you  say.  These  are  the  papers 
which  Stella  stole.  I  blamed  you  for  the  loss  of 
them  too  hardly,  but  you  shall  never  be  sorry  that 
you  succeeded  in  regaining  them." 

She  drew  a  queer  little  breath  of  relief,  and 
leaned  back  in  her  chair.  She  was  still  as  pale  as 
death,  but  the  terrible  strain  had  gone  from  her 
face. 

"I  snatched  them  up,"  she  murmured,  "  and 
ran.  I  am  sure  they  will  come  after  me.  And 
Vine  —  I  think  that  that  man  will  kill  Vine.  His 
ringers  were  upon  his  throat  when  I  left." 

'  You  brought  them,"  Phineas  Duge  asked 
calmly,  "  from  Norris  Vine's  rooms  ?  " 

She  had  no  time  to  answer.  The  door  was 
opened.  Norris  Vine  stood  there  on  the  thresh- 
old. He  looked  in  upon  the  little  group  and 
shrugged  his  shoulders. 

"  I  am  too  late,  then,"  he  said  slowly. 

Phineas  Duge  thrust  his  hand  into  the  flames 

o 

and  held  the  papers  there.  Norris  Vine  seemed 
for  a  moment  as  though  he  would  have  sprung 
forward,  but  Littleson  intervened,  and  Deane 
himself. 

'  They  shall  burn!  "  Duge  cried.  "  If  you  are 
really  the  altruist  you  claim  to  be,  Mr.  Vine,  you 
need  not  fear  their  destruction.  We  are  changing 


our  tactics.  If  the  bill  becomes  law  we  will  face 
its  effect,  whatever  it  may  be.  There  shall  be  no 
bribery.  There  shall  be  no  underground  history. 
If  the  people  of  America  attack  us,  we  will  fight 
our  own  battles." 

Norris  Vine  sighed. 

"  In  another  half  an  hour,"  he  said,  "  my  cable 
would  have  been  sent.  To-morrow  New  York 
would  have  been  indeed  the  city  of  unrest." 

Phineas  Duge  turned  upon  him  coldly. 

*  You,"  he  said,  "  are  one  of  those  unpractical 
persons,  who  bring  to  the  affairs  of  a  purely  utili- 
tarian epoch  the  *  faineant '  scruples  of  the  dilet- 
tante and  romanticist.     You  cannot  regulate  the 
flow  of  wealth  any  more  than  you  can  dam  a  river 
with  shifting  sand.     Don't  you  know  that  destiny, 
whether  it  be  guided  by  other  powers  or  not,  was 
never  meant  to  be  shaped  by  the  lookers-on  ?  " 

Norris  Vine  shrugged  his  shoulders  and  turned 
toward  the  door. 

*  Well,"  he  said,  "  I  will  not  argue  with  you. 
Perhaps  those  papers  are  better  where  they  are. 
You  will  learn  your  lesson.     You,  sir,"  he  added, 
turning  to  Littleson,  "  and  those  other  of  your 
friends  who,  at  any  rate,  have  known  the  shadow 
of  an  American  prison,  in  some  other  way," 


CHAPTER  XXII 

A   SURPRISE 

VINE  put  on  his  coat,  lit  a  cigarette, 
and  looked  around  the  room  with  the  sat- 
isfied air  of  a  man  who  has  successfully  accom- 
plished a  difficult  task.  In  front  of  him  were  two 
steamer  trunks,  a  hold-all,  hat-box,  a  case  of  guns, 
golf  clubs,  and  some  smaller  packages,  all  fastened 
up  and  labelled  "  Vine,  New  York."  He  moved 
toward  the  bell,  meaning  to  ring  for  a  porter,  but 
was  interrupted  by  a  knock  at  the  door. 

"Come  in!"  he  called  out,  and  Virginia  en- 
tered. He  looked  at  her  in  cold  surprise.  He 
recognized  her,  of  course,  but  he  recognized  also 
that  this  young  lady  had  nothing  whatever  to  do 
with  the  pale-faced,  desperate  child,  whose  visits 
to  him  before  had  always  seemed  in  a  sense  pa- 
thetic. He  was  an  artist  in  such  things,  and  he 
realized  at  once  the  dainty  perfection  of  her  muslin 
gown  and  large  drooping  hat.  Her  whole  expres- 
sion, too,  had  changed.  She  had  no  longer  the 
look  of  a  hunted  and  frightened  child.  She  car- 
ried herself  with  confidence  and  with  colour  in  her 
cheeks,  and  though  she  held  out  her  hand  to  him 
with  some  show  of  timidity,  the  smile  upon  her 
lips  was  delightful,  if  a  little  appealing. 


288  THE  GOVERNORS 

"  Mr.  Vine,"  she  said,  "  please  forgive  my 
coming.  I  have  something  so  important  to  say 
to  you  and  I  heard  that  you  were  going  back  to 
the  States.  You  will  spare  me  a  few  minutes, 
will  you  not  ?  " 

Vine  was  only  human,  and  hers  was  an  appeal 
it  was  not  easy  to  refuse.  He  placed  a  chair  for 
her,  and  stood  in  a  listening  attitude. 

"  My  dear  young  lady,"  he  said,  "  I  will  listen 
gladly  to  anything  that  you  have  to  say.  But  as 
I  have  nothing  more  left  which  it  would  be  of  any 
interest  to  you  to  steal,  I  scarcely  understand  to 
what  I  am  indebted  for  this  unexpected  "  -  he 
hesitated  for  a  moment  and  concluded  his  sen- 
tence with  a  not  ungracious  bow  —  "  unexpected 
pleasure!  "  he  said. 

She  smiled  up  at  him  delightfully. 

"  I  am  so  glad,  Mr.  Vine,"  she  said,  "  that  you 
are  going  to  be  generous  and  nice,  because  what  I 
have  to  say  to  you  is  so  difficult,  and  if  you  were 
angry  with  me  it  would  be  very  hard  to  say." 

"  I  trust,"  he  answered,  "  that  I  can  accept  a 
defeat;  and  you  had  all  the  luck,  you  know." 

"  I  had,"  she  admitted.  "  It  was,  after  all, 
nothing  to  do  with  me.  I  see  you  have  cleared 
your  cupboard  out.  I  can  assure  you  that  it  was 
a  terribly  stuffy  place  with  all  those  clothes  of 
yours  hanging  there." 

He  smiled. 

"  Well,"  he  said,  "  you  were  very  patient  and 


A  SURPRISE  289 

very  persistent.  You  have  won  and  I  lost.  I  am 
not  at  all  sure  that  it  is  not  a  good  thing  that  I  lost. 
My  friend  Deane  tells  me  so  even  now.  But  let 
that  go.  I  am  sure  you  would  like  to  tell  me  what 
it  is  that  you  have  come  here  for." 

"  I  have  come,"  she  answered,  "  to  talk  to  you 
about  Stella." 

"  Stella  ?  "  he  repeated  slowly. 

Virginia  nodded. 

"Yes!"  she  said.  "You  see,  I  have  all  the 
time  the  feeling  that  I  have  somehow  or  other  done 
Stella  an  injury  by  taking  her  place  with  my  uncle, 
and  do  you  know,  Mr.  Vine,  since  he  has  been  in 
London  he  seems  quite  altered.  He  has  been 
simply  delightful,  and  I  haven't  felt  frightened 
by  him  once.  He  keeps  on  giving  me  beautiful 
presents,  and  he  does  not  seem  in  the  least  in  a 
hurry  to  get  back  to  America." 

Norris  Vine  smiled  grimly. 

"  I  do  not  blame  him,"  he  said. 

'  Yesterday,"  she  continued,  "  I  could  not  help 
it;  I  disobeyed  his  orders  and  I  spoke  to  him  about 
Stella,  and  do  you  know,  he  listened  to  me  quite 
patiently.  Mr.  Vine,  I  am  going  to  say  something 
to  you  very  serious.  You  must  not  ask  me  how 
I  know,  or  exactly  what  I  know;  but  I  acciden- 
tally do  know  so  much  as  this.  You  and  Stella  are 
very  fond  of  one  another,  and  I  should  like  to  see 
you  married." 

He  raised  his  eyebrows  slowly. 


290  THE  GOVERNORS 

"  You  would  like,"  he  repeated,  "  to  see  us 
married !  " 

She  looked  away  from  him.  He  could  see  that 
for  some  reason  or  other  she  was  embarrassed. 
The  colour  had  streamed  into  her  cheeks,  but  she 
went  on  bravely  enough. 

"Yes!"  she  said.  "I  talked  to  my  uncle 
about  it,  and  he  was  quite  nice.  He  says  that  he 
does  not  want  to  see  Stella  again  for  a  short  time, 
but  if  you  two  have  made  up  your  minds  to  be 
married  —  that  is  how  he  put  it  —  he  is  going  to 
give  Stella  a  million  dollars." 

'  You  must  be  a  magician,"  he  said  coolly. 

"  I  am  nothing  of  the  sort,"  she  answered,  "  but 
I  think  that  my  uncle  has  been  very  much  mis- 
understood, or  else  something  has  changed  him 
wonderfully  during  the  past  few  months.  Now, 
I  came  straight  to  see  you  and  to  tell  you  this,  Mr. 
Vine,  because  I  do  not  know  where  to  find  Stella. 
Can't  you  be  married  here  in  London,  and  ask  me 
to  the  wedding  ?  " 

There  was  a  knock  at  the  door  and  it  was  im- 
mediately opened.  They  both  turned  round. 
It  was  Stella  who  stood  there.  She  looked  at 
them  both  for  a  moment  in  surprise.  Then  she 
closed  the  door  and  came  into  the  room. 

"  Virginia!  "  she  exclaimed.  "  What  on  earth 
are  you  doing  here  ?  " 

"  I  should  have  come  to  see  you,  Stella,"  Vir- 
ginia said,  "  if  I  had  known  where  to  find  you." 


A  SURPRISE  291 

'  Virginia  has  come,"  Vine  said,  "  to  tell  us 
that  your  father  is  inclined  to  play  the  part  of  a 
benevolent  parent.  I  think  that  he  must  be  either 
very  ill,  or  going  to  be.  Virginia  has  come  here  to 
tell  us  that  we  are  to  be  married,  and  that  he  is 
going  to  give  you  some  little  trifle  for  a  wedding 
present,  a  million  dollars,  I  think  it  was  she 
mentioned." 

Stella  looked  at  her  cousin  in  amazement. 

"  Do  you  mean  this,  Virginia  ?  "  she  exclaimed. 

"  Absolutely,"  Virginia  answered.  "  He  has 
promised  faithfully.  There  is  no  doubt  about  it 
at  all." 

'Thank  goodness!"  Stella  declared.  "I  am 
tired  of  being  poor,  aren't  you,  Norris  ?  Virginia, 
you're  a  dear." 

Stella  passed  her  arm  around  her  cousin's  neck. 
Virginia  looked  up  a  little  timidly. 

"  And  you  will  marry  Mr.  Vine,  then,"  she  said, 
"  at  once  ?  " 

Stella  laughed  softly. 

"  My  dear  child,"  she  said,  "  we  have  been 
married  for  six  weeks." 

Virginia  leaned  back  in  her  chair. 

"  Oh!  "  she  said.  Then  suddenly  she  sprang 
to  her  feet.  She  was  obviously  delighted.  A 
certain  restraint  had  left  her  manner.  It  was 
clear  that  the  news  was  a  relief  to  her. 

*  This,"  she  said,  "  is  delightful.  You  are 
both  of  you  to  come  to  dinner  to-night  at 


292  THE  GOVERNORS 

Claridge's.  Your  father  told  me  that  I  was  to 
ask  you/'  she  said,  turning  to  Stella,  "  if  I  found 
you  both." 

"  At  eight  o'clock,  I  suppose  ?  "  Vine  remarked. 
"  We  will  be  there." 

Virginia  and  Stella  left  together. 

"  I  have  an  automobile  outside,"  Virginia  said 
a  little  shyly.  '  Your  father  is  ever  so  much  too 
kind  to  me,  but  I  do  hope,  Stella,  that  you  don't 
mind.  I  feel  sure  that  he  is  going  to  be  quite 
different  now." 

"Mind?  Of  course  not,"  Stella  answered.  "I 
have  been  rather  a  beast  to  him  myself,  and  I 
think  it's  very  decent  of  you,  after  everything, 
to  have  anything  to  do  with  me.  Who  on  earth 
is  this  young  man  ?  " 

They  were  in  the  hall  of  the  Mansions,  face  to 
face  with  a  young  man  who  was  in  the  act  of  enter- 
ing. Virginia  looked  up,  and  gave  a  startled 
little  cry. 

*  You!  "  she  exclaimed  breathlessly. 

Guy  quite  ignored  her  companion,  and  took 
her  by  the  hands. 

"  Virginia!  "  he  exclaimed.  "  At  last!  Where 
have  you  been  hiding  yourself,  and  how  dared  you 
run  away  from  me  ?  " 

'  There  didn't  seem  to  be  much  else  for  me  to 
do,"  Virginia  answered  smiling;  "  but  I  am  very 
glad  to  see  you  again  now,"  she  added  in  a  lower 
tone. 


A  SURPRISE  293 

"  How  well  you  look!  "  he  exclaimed.  "  Where 
can  we  go  and  sit  down  ?  I  want  to  talk  to  you, 
and  remember  I  am  not  going  to  let  you  out  of  my 
sight  again." 

Stella,  whom  they  had  both  forgotten,  inter- 
vened. 

"  It  seems  to  me,"  she  said,  "  that  it  is  fortu- 
nate I  have  an  engagement.  At  eight  o'clock 
then,  Virginia. " 

Guy  lifted  his  hat,  and  Virginia  murmured 
something. 

"  It  is  my  cousin  Stella,"  she  said.  '*  What  is 
it  that  you  want  to  say  to  me,  Guy  ?  "  she  added, 
half  shyly,  as  soon  as  they  were  alone. 

"  Come  and  get  in  my  automobile,"  he  said. 
*  We  will  sit  behind  and  let  the  man  drive.  Then 
we  can  talk.  But  the  first  thing  I  have  to  say  to 
you  is  this:  that  I  do  not  want  to  ask  you  a  single 
question,  nor  am  I  going  to  permit  any  one  alse  to 
ask  you  anything.  Whoever  you  are  and  what- 
ever you  are,  you  are  going  to  be  my  wife  as  soon 
as  I  can  get  another  special  license." 

She  laughed  softly. 

'  Very  well,"  she  said,  "  only  you  must  come  in 
my  automobile  instead,  and  send  yours  away.  If 
you  like  I  will  take  you  for  a  little  drive." 

'  Just  as  you  like,"  he  answered,  looking  with 
some  surprise  at  the  car  which  stood  waiting  for 
Virginia,  with  its  two  immaculate  servants.  "  It 
seems  to  me,  dear,"  he  added,  with  a  note  of  dis- 


294  THE  GOVERNORS 

appointment  in  his  tone,  "  that  you  have  reached 
the  end  of  your  troubles  without  my  help." 

"  I  think  I  have,  Guy,"  she  answered,  "  but  I 
am  just  as  pleased  to  see  you.  Would  you  like 
to  come  and  be  introduced  to  my  uncle  and 
guardian  ? " 

"  Rather!  "  he  answered. 

"  Back  to  Claridge's,"  she  told  the  footman, 
and  they  stepped  inside. 

"  This  isn't  a  dream,  is  it  ?  "  Guy  asked. 

"  I  don't  believe  so,"  she  answered.  '  You 
will  find  my  uncle  human  enough,  at  any  rate." 


CHAPTER  XXIII 

A  DINNER  PARTY 

OHINEAS  DUGE  in  London  was  still  a  man  of 
affairs.  With  a  cigar  in  his  mouth,  and  his 
hands  behind  his  back,  he  was  strolling  about  his 
handsomely  furnished  sitting-room  at  Claridge's, 
dictating  to  a  secretary,  while  from  an  adjoining 
room  came  the  faint  click  of  a  typewriter.  Vir- 
ginia entered  somewhat  unceremoniously,  fol- 
lowed by  Guy.  Phineas  Duge  looked  at  them 
both  in  some  surprise. 

"  Uncle,"  she  said,  "  I  met  Guy  coming  away 
from  Coniston  Mansions.  He  was  looking  for 
me,  and  I  have  brought  him  to  see  you." 

Phineas  Duge  held  out  his  hand,  and  in  obe- 
dience to  a  gesture,  the  secretary  got  up  and  left 
the  room. 

"  I  am  very  glad  to  meet  you,  sir,"  he  said. 
*  By  the  by,  my  niece  has  only  mentioned  your 
first  name." 

"  I  am  the  Duke  of  Mowbray,"  Guy  said 
simply,  "  and  I  am  very  glad  indeed  to  meet  you 
if  you  are  Virginia's  uncle.  I  think  that  she 
treated  me  rather  badly  a  week  ago,  but  I  am  dis- 
posed," he  added,  with  a  twinkle  in  his  eyes,  "  to 


296  THE  GOVERNORS 

be  forgiving.     I  want  your  niece  to  be  my  wife, 


sir. 
« 


Indeed!'*  Mr.  Duge  answered  a  little  drily. 
"  I  can't  say  that  I  am  glad  to  hear  it,  as  I  have 
only  just  discovered  her  myself." 

'  There   is   no   reason,   sir,"   Guy   answered, 
"  why  you  should  lose  her." 

'  You  don't  even  know  my  uncle's  name  yet," 
Virginia  said,  smiling. 

"  I  am  Phineas  Duge,"  Duge  answered.  "  I 
dare  say  you  have  never  heard  of  me.  You  see, 
I  don't  come  often  to  England." 

"  Phineas  Duge!  "  Guy  gasped.      '  What,  you 

mean  the ?  " 

"  Oh,  yes!  there  is  only  one  of  us,"  Duge  an- 
swered, smiling.  "  I  am  glad  to  hear  that  my 
fame,  or  perhaps  my  infamy,  has  reached  even 
you." 

Guy  laughed. 

"  I  don't  think  there  is  much  question  of  in- 
famy," he  said.  "  I  fancy  that  over  here  you 
will  find  yourself  a  very  popular  person  indeed." 
"  Even,"  Phineas  Duge  answered,  "  although 
I  allowed  my  niece  to  run  away  from  home  and 
come  over  here  on  a  wild-goose  chase.  It  was  one 
of  my  mistakes,  but  Virginia  has  forgiven  it.  I 
suppose  she  has  told  you  everything  now." 

"  Everything,"  Guy  answered,  "and  we  should 
like  to  be  married  as  soon  as  you  will  allow  it." 
"  What  about  your  people  ?  "  Duge  asked. 


A  DINNER  PARTY  297 

Guy  smiled. 

"  I  fancy,"  he  said,  "  that  there  will  be  no 
difficulty  at  all  about  that." 

"  You  two,"  Phineas  Duge  said,  "  seem  to  have 
come  across  one  another  in  a  very  unconventional 
manner,  and  yet,  after  all,  it  seems  as  though  you 
were  doing  the  thing  which  your  people  over  here 
look  upon  at  any  rate  with  tolerance.  I  have  only 
two  girls  to  leave  my  millions  to.  You  must  send 
your  solicitor  to  see  me  to-morrow." 

"  Virginia  knows,"  Guy  answered,  "  that  I 
should  be  only  too  glad  to  have  her  without  a 
sixpence." 

"  I  myself  am  fond  of  money,"  Phineas  Duge 
answered,  smiling,  "  but  I  think  that  if  I  were 
your  age  I  should  feel  very  much  the  same." 

"  Uncle,"  Virginia  said,  "  I  have  seen  Mr.  Vine 
and  Stella,  and  I  have  given  them  your  message. 
They  are  coming  to  dine  with  us  at  eight  o'clock 
to-night.  Couldn't  we  —  couldn't ?  " 

Phineas  Duge  interrupted  with  a  little  shrug  of 
the  shoulders. 

"  Make  it  into  a  family  party,  I  suppose  you 
were  going  to  say  ?  "  he  remarked.  "  My  niece 
hopes  that  you  too  will  join  us,"  he  added,  turning 
to  the  young  man. 

Guy  raced  back  to  Grosvenor  Square.  He 
found  Lady  Medlincourt  playing  bridge  in  the 
card-room. 


298  THE  GOVERNORS 

"  Aunt,"  he  said,  after  having  greeted  her 
guests,  "  I  must  see  you  at  once.  Please  come 
into  the  morning-room.  I  have  something  most 
important  to  say." 

"  If  you  dare  to  disturb  me  until  I  have  finished 
this  hand,  I  shall  never  speak  to  you  again,"  she 
declared.  "  If  we  lose  this  rubber,  my  diamonds 
will  have  to  go." 

He  walked  about  the  room,  trying  to  conceal 
his  impatience.  Fortunately  Lady  Medlincourt 
won  the  rubber,  and  having  collected  her  win- 
nings, she  followed  him  into  the  morning-room. 

'  Well,  Guy,  what  is  it  ?  "  she  said  resentfully. 
"  I  suppose  you  have  found  that  child  ?  " 

"  I  have  not  only  found  her,"  he  answered, 
"  but  I  have  found  out  all  about  her.  Do  you 
know  whose  niece  she  is,  and  whom  she  is  staying 
with  ?  " 

"  How  should  I,  my  dear  boy  ?  "  she  answered. 

"  Her  uncle  is  Phineas  Duge,"  Guy  said.  "  He 
has  given  his  consent  to  our  marriage,  and  told 
me  to  send  my  lawyer  to  him  to-morrow." 

"  Bless  the  boy,  what  luck!  "  Lady  Medlin- 
court exclaimed.  "  Why,  he's  the  richest  man 
in  America." 

Guy  nodded. 

"  I  don't  care  a  bit,"  he  said,  "  except  that  it 
will  make  all  you  people  so  much  more  decent  to 
Virginia.  Come  along  round  to  Claridge's  and 
be  introduced,  There's  just  time." 


A  DINNER-PARTY  299 

The  dinner-party  that  night  was  a  great  success. 
In  the  middle  of  it  Lady  Medlincourt  laughed 
softly  to  herself. 

"  I  must  tell  you  all  something,"  she  said. 
"  You  know  Guy  went  to  America  this  year  to 
see  his  cousin  who  is  out  ranching.  He  was  so 
afraid  that  people  would  think  he  had  gone  out 
to  find  an  American  heiress  —  you  know  we're  all 
disgracefully  poor  —  that  he  stayed  in  New  York, 
and  came  back,  under  an  assumed  name.  In 
fact,  he  was  only  in  New  York  for  two  days,  for 
fear  that  some  one  should  find  him  out.  And 
to  think,  Guy,'*  she  exclaimed,  "  that  you  are 
going  to  do  the  conventional  thing  after  all !  " 

"  My  dear  lady,"  Phineas  Duge  said,  "  the  con- 
ventions in  your  wonderful  country  are  not  things 
to  be  trifled  with.  Somehow  or  other  they  will 
assert  themselves.  There  is  your  nephew  here 
trying  to  prove  to  the  world  that  he  will  have 
nothing  to  do  with  them,  and  yet  it  will  be  his 
painful  duty  to  receive  as  much  of  my  hard- 
earned  savings  as  my  daughter's  dowry  and  Vir- 
ginia's trousseau  will  leave  to  me.  Never,  until 
I  was  inveigled  into  Doucet's  this  afternoon,  did 
I  really  understand  the  absolute  recklessness  of 
young  women  who  are  going  to  marry  English- 
men." 

Virginia  laughed  softly. 

'  What  there  is  in  me  of  extravagance,"  she 
said,  laying  her  hand  for  a  moment  upon  his  arm, 


300  THE  GOVERNORS 

"  I  owe  to  you.  Who  else  would  have  cabled  to 
all  my  people  to  come  over  here  for  such  an  un- 
important function  as  my  wedding!  " 

Norris  Vine  caught  his  host's  eye  and  raised  his 
glass. 

"  May  I  be  permitted,"  he  asked,  "  to  propose 
a  toast  —  or  rather  several  toasts  ?  I  drink  with 
you,  sir,"  he  added,  with  a  slight  bow,  "  to  the 
extinction  of  an  ancient  enmity!  I  have  been 
something  of  a  fanatic,  I  fear,  as  all  those  must 
be  who  take  to  their  hearts  a  righteous  cause.  I 
drink  to  your  charming  niece,  and  to  the  fortu- 
nate young  gentleman  who  is  to  be  her  husband ! 
And  lastly,  I  drink  to  our  great  country!  " 

'  To  America,  and  the  extinction  of  all  en- 
mities!" Phineas  Duge  cried,  holding  his  glass 
above  his  head. 

'  To  America,  and  the  sweetest  of  all  her 
daughters !  "  Guy  whispered  in  Virginia's  ears. 

THE    END 


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The  Long  Arm  of  Mannister 

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As  a  Man  Lives,  or  the  Mystery  of  the 
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The  Avenger 

Unravels  an  intricate  tangle  of  political  intrigue  and  private 
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Anna  the  Adventuress 

A  surprising  tale  of  London  life,  with  a  most  engaging  heroine. 

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The  Malefactor 

An  amazing  story  of  the  strange  revenge  of  Sir  Wingrave 
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A  Millionaire  of  Yesterday 

A  gripping  story  of  a  West  African  miner  who  clears  his 
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A  thrilling  story  throughout.  The  author  grips  the  reader's  at- 
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The  Man  and  His  Kingdom 

An  intensely  dramatic  tale  of  love,  intrigue,  and  adventure  in 
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Deals  with  a  stupendous  international  conspiracy. 

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A  Sleeping  Memory 

The  remarkable  tale  of  an  unhappy  girl  who  consented  to  be 
deprived  of  her  memory,  with  unlooked-for  consequences. 

He  deals  with  the  curious  and  unexpected,  and  displays  all  the 
qualities  which  made  him  famous.  —  St.  Louis  Globe-Democrat 

The  Traitors 

A   capital   story   of  love,   adventure,   and   Russian   political 
intrigue  in  a  small  Balkan  state. 

A  virile,  strenuous  tale.  —  New  York  Herald 

Swift-moving  and  exciting.  The  love  episodes  have  freshness 
and  charm.  —  Minneapolis  Tribune 

LITTLE,  BROWN,  &  COMPANY,  Publishers,  BOSTON 


University  of  California 

SOUTHERN  REGIONAL  LIBRARY  FACILITY 

405  Hilgard  Avenue,  Los  Angeles,  CA  90024-1388 

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from  which  it  was  borrowed. 


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0  4  1998 


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